April sales of new cars, trucks and buses fell 6.5 percent from the same month last year to 248,302 units, the first year-on-year decline in eight months, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday.
Association officials attributed the drop to a sharp decline in sales of popular compact models, including the Honda Fit, the Honda Mobilio and the Nissan March.
Sales of new compacts, featuring engine displacements between 661cc and 2,000cc, dropped 10.5 percent from the same month in 2002 to 151,777 units, the first decrease in 13 months.