JAPAN

Imported Cars Continue to Gain Market Share: Sales of imported cars in Japan showed healthy increases in the last financial year, and sellers expect the mighty yen to give them another bumper year as the prices of imports become more competitive. Autos made in the United States were the star performers of the almost 333,000 imports sold in the year to March 31, helping to push the total up by 53% on 1993-94 sales, according to Japan’s Automobile Importers’ Assn. Honda’s U.S.-made Accord wagons, Ford’s Mustang and Taurus combined with Chrysler’s Jeep Cherokee to give U.S. car makers almost a third of Japan’s increasingly hungry market for imports. Figures released by the importers’ association showed that sales of U.S. imports rose by 70.8% over the year before, to 100,704 units. Of all imports, Ford recorded the biggest percentage rise--13,357 cars or 114.1%