Japan Sales Drop; U.S. Pressure Mounts

Japan Sales Drop; U.S. Pressure Mounts

Japan's vehicle sales fell for a 21st straight month, led by Nissan and Toyota. Japanese automakers selling in their home market have been experiencing their business year since 1977.

What does this mean for the U.S.? The pressure will be on Japanese automakers to maintain and boost sales in the U.S. to offset slow sales in their home market.

Sales of cars, trucks and buses, excluding minicars, fell 12.6 percent to 487,738 vehicles in March from a year earlier, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association reported Monday. Nissan's sales fell 16 percent; Toyota's dropped 12 percent. Car sales have dropped despite increased household spending. The only bright spot in Japan’s auto sales is minicars.

Michelle Krebs:  is Editor-in-Chief of AutoObserver.com. Follow @AutoObserver on Twitter.