Japanese carmakers' sales in China tumble in September

[BEIJING] Japanese automakers Honda Motor, Nissan Motor and Toyota Motor saw their sales in China tumble in September as a chip shortage hit vehicle production in the world's biggest car market.

Honda said it sold 121,448 vehicles in China last month, down 28 per cent from a year earlier due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a shortage of components.

Nissan said it sold 104,443 cars, down 26 per cent, due to "external headwind including the ongoing pandemic, cross-industry material shortages, slowdowns and increased competition".

Toyota said it sold 115,000 cars, down 36 per cent.

Separately, US automaker General Motors Co, which reports only quarterly China sales, said it sold over 623,000 in July through September, down 19 per cent from the same period last year, "impacted by the ongoing global semiconductor supply chain disruption."

REUTERS