Dampened by the current economic crisis in Asia, automobile exports in October dropped 7.9 percent compared with the same month last year, the sixth consecutive year-on-year monthly decrease, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Friday.
As a result, total exports for the year are expected to decrease from the previous year for the first time in two years, the industry group said. October exports stood at 358,810 units, down 30,798 units from the same month last year.
By destination, the exports to Asia continued to drop for the 13th month, while those to the U.S. continued to expand for a second consecutive month. The figures in October were 18,356 and 119,424 units respectively.
Toyota Motor Corp. maintained the top position with 127,163 exports, but the figure represents a 13 percent drop from the same period last year.
Nissan Co. came in second with 61,886, almost the same level as the previous year.
Honda Motor Co. was third at 43,306 units, a 1.1 percent increase from the same month last year, according to the association.