Nissan, Honda deliveries fall in August
Nissan Motor Corp.'s deliveries in China slipped 1 percent last month from a year earlier and Honda Motor Co.'s declined 6 percent as the two Japanese carmakers struggled to maintain sales momentum.
Nissan and its Chinese joint venture partner sold 85,500 automobiles in China in August as the company suffered sluggish demand for light commercial vehicles.
The Japanese automaker's sales also fell 12 percent in July after rising 11 percent in June. In the first eight months, Nissan sales were up 9 percent year on year, to 785,400 vehicles.
Nissan, which operates a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp., aims to sell 1.4 million cars in the country this year, up 11 percent from 2013.
In May, Nissan senior Vice President Jun Seki said the company aims to achieve annual China sales of 2 million cars by 2017-18 as it bolsters its business in China.
Despite poor results in August, Nissan maintained its status as China's top-selling Japanese automaker, ahead of Honda and Toyota.
Honda and its two local joint ventures sold 52,513 automobiles in China last month. That follows a 23 percent year-on-year decline in July and a 16 percent increase in June.
Natsuno Asanuma, a Honda spokeswoman in Beijing, said the decline in August occurred when dealers trimmed their inventory ahead of planned launches of key models this year.
Carmakers often cut down on dealership inventories to make room for new models.
Honda is due to release the Vezel and the Spirior in November and the XR-V toward year end, Asanuma said.
The company's sales in the first eight months of the year rose 5 percent from the same period a year earlier, to 445,472 vehicles.
Honda aims to double the number of car models it sells in China over the next two years to increase its market share, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported in May.
Honda, which operates car ventures in China with Dongfeng Motor Corp. and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., aims to sell 900,000 cars in the country this year, up 19 percent.
Earlier this week, Toyota Motor Corp. reported its sales in China rose 9 percent in August from the year-earlier month, to 78,500 vehicles.
In the first eight months, Toyota sales increased 10 percent to 619,200 vehicles. Toyota aims to sell more than 1.1 million vehicles in China this year.
The Japanese automaker's sales also fell 12 percent in July after rising 11 percent in June. In the first eight months, Nissan sales were up 9 percent year on year, to 785,400 vehicles.
Nissan, which operates a joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp., aims to sell 1.4 million cars in the country this year, up 11 percent from 2013.
In May, Nissan senior Vice President Jun Seki said the company aims to achieve annual China sales of 2 million cars by 2017-18 as it bolsters its business in China.
Despite poor results in August, Nissan maintained its status as China's top-selling Japanese automaker, ahead of Honda and Toyota.
Honda and its two local joint ventures sold 52,513 automobiles in China last month. That follows a 23 percent year-on-year decline in July and a 16 percent increase in June.
Natsuno Asanuma, a Honda spokeswoman in Beijing, said the decline in August occurred when dealers trimmed their inventory ahead of planned launches of key models this year.
Carmakers often cut down on dealership inventories to make room for new models.
Honda is due to release the Vezel and the Spirior in November and the XR-V toward year end, Asanuma said.
The company's sales in the first eight months of the year rose 5 percent from the same period a year earlier, to 445,472 vehicles.
Honda aims to double the number of car models it sells in China over the next two years to increase its market share, Japan's Nikkei newspaper reported in May.
Honda, which operates car ventures in China with Dongfeng Motor Corp. and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., aims to sell 900,000 cars in the country this year, up 19 percent.
Earlier this week, Toyota Motor Corp. reported its sales in China rose 9 percent in August from the year-earlier month, to 78,500 vehicles.
In the first eight months, Toyota sales increased 10 percent to 619,200 vehicles. Toyota aims to sell more than 1.1 million vehicles in China this year.
