Japanese car buyers are reaping the rewards of government subsidies for environmentally friendly cars.
The subsidies, which are due to expire at the end of September, helped sales of new vehicles in the country climb by 12.9 per cent during July to 486,606 units.
The Toyota Motor Corporation saw its sales shoot up by 19.1 per cent during the month thanks in large to the Prius Hybrid; while Honda enjoyed a 13.3 per cent jump partly based on the popularity of the Fit sub-compact and the Step WGN mini-van. Meanwhile, the Demio sub-compact helped boost Mazda’s sales volume by 25.3 per cent.
According to the Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, automakers are now stepping up their marketing activity to urge customers still driving old vehicles to buy new ones before the subsidies expire.
