New car sales in areas struck by the quake-tsunami catastrophe nose-dived in March, data released by an industry body showed Wednesday, fanning concerns that the aftermath of the twin disasters could hit the broader economy.
As new vehicle sales across the country in March also recorded the largest year-on-year decline on record, they are expected to remain sluggish in April, given that automakers are cutting back on production and are keeping cars in short supply, analysts said.
In March, new car sales other than minivehicles in the three hardest-hit prefectures plummeted 69.4 percent on year to 2,695 units in Miyagi, 58.4 percent to 3,128 units in Fukushima and 53.6 percent to 2,047 units in Iwate, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.