The record March 11 earthquake had an unexpected side effect for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG dealer Jun Kubota: His showroom in central Tokyo had its best April in at least three years.
Kubota wasn't alone. Across the country, as Japanese carmakers reeled from output disruptions following the quake, BMW deliveries surged 56 percent in April, while sales of Toyota Motor Corp.'s Lexus brand fell 45 percent. Sales of all imported foreign brands rose 21 percent, even as the overall auto market shrank 47 percent.
"Customers have told me some Lexus models won't arrive until November," said Kubota, sales manager at the BMW dealership in Tokyo's Aoyama district. "So we're hearing some people say, 'You know, I've always wanted to try a BMW.' "