TRADE : Japanese Auto Imports Surge 35%, Although Sales Remain Low

Japan’s auto imports surged 35% in the first half of this year, an industry association announced Thursday, the latest sign that the flow of foreign-made cars into Japan is increasing.

However, much of the growth was because of higher sales of cars made in Japanese-owned factories overseas, such as Toyota’s Avalon.

And the dramatic surge is based on what remains a low sales figure: 185,637 imported vehicles out of a total market of 2.6 million.

In the same six-month period last year, 137,966 imported vehicles were sold.

Still, the share of the Japanese auto market held by imports continued to rise, reaching 7% in the first half of 1995, up from 5.6% in the same period in 1994, the Japan Automobile Importers Assn. said.

Honda USA remains the largest seller of American-made cars to Japan, shipping more than the U.S. Big Three combined.

Honda’s sales rose 34% during the period to 25,513 vehicles. Sales of U.S.-made vehicles from Toyota doubled during the six-month period to about 11,000.

Imports from the Big Three were relatively flat during the period. General Motors Corp. sales in Japan inched up 1.8%, Chrysler Corp. rose 7.3% and Ford Motor Co. rose 36%, for a combined total of 19,129 vehicles.

Big Three sales have been stymied for years by a lack of dealership outlets and a paucity of models designed for the Japanese market.

But that trend may change in the next year with the help of the trade agreement reached last week between Japan and the United States.

U.S. auto makers aim to set up 200 outlets by the end of 1996 and 1,000 by the turn of the century.