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Toyota Global Sales Fall 6.4% in August as China Market Slumps

TOKYO - Toyota Motor's global vehicle sales fell 6.4% from a year earlier to 790,743 units in August, marking the second consecutive month of year-on-year declines as high gasoline prices linked to the Middle East crisis continued to weigh on demand for gasoline-powered vehicles in China.

The automaker announced the August figures on September 29, with weakness in the Chinese market remaining a major drag on its worldwide sales.

Gasoline prices have risen sharply following the crisis in the Middle East, prompting Chinese consumers to increasingly avoid conventional gasoline-powered vehicles and adding to pressure on Toyota in the world's largest automobile market.

Toyota's domestic production also declined in August, falling 1.7% from a year earlier to 204,487 vehicles. It was the first year-on-year decrease in four months.

The decline in Japanese production reflected temporary factory shutdowns caused by the Kumamoto earthquake and typhoons, which disrupted operations at some of the automaker's plants.

Source: テレ東BIZ

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