Japanese manufacturers Toyota, Nissan and Honda announced Thursday that they saw their car sales flying in March in the United States, consumers who precipitated their purchases before the application of customs tasks imposed by Washington. Since the beginning of April, the Trump administration has imposed a customs surcharge of 25% to all imported vehicles in the United States, a great shock for Japanese manufacturers for which the US market is still crucial.
But while in March the possibility of customs barriers and the probability that they quickly affect sales prices were clarified in March, US buyers accelerated their purchase to escape from the Cleaver. Consequence: In March, the last month saved by the border surcharge, the world number one in the world registered 7.7% of more than a year of its sales in the United States, with about 231,300 vehicles sold.
This increase is explained “by a continuous solid application, as well as for an acceleration of sales before the entry into force of customs tasks,” admitted the Japanese group. In total, Toyota World Sales rose 7.9% for one year last month.
Sales up to 13% for Honda
Toyota is particularly affected by the Washington customs offensive: in 2024, he made a quarter of his world sales in the United States, where he sold 2.33 million vehicles -1 million were imported, especially from Japan and Mexico.
Honda, number two Japanese in the automotive industry, also experienced a vigorous start in March, with an increase of 13.2% for a year of its sales in the United States, with almost 1,47,800 vehicles, to compare with an increase of only 3.1% of all its world sales. In addition, Toyota as Honda indicates that they have largely inflated their car routes from Japan to the United States, enough to strengthen their US actions that have escaped from the surcharge.
On the other hand, on the back of his countrymen, Nissan, manufacturer in financial and indebted difficulties, suffered the lively sales difficulty in the United States, without offering hybrid models appealed by US consumers. But it also benefited in March of the car shopping frenzy of its American customers, with a 9.9% rebound for a year of their sales in the country, with almost 110,000 units, even when their global sales earned a total of 3.4%, especially sealed by a 26% drop in China.
Source: BFM TV
