The number of scrapped vehicles is expected to increase to million units in fiscal 2006, an 18 percent increase from fiscal 2005, according to Japan Automobile Recycling Promotion Center in Tokyo.
The center has projected that about 5 million vehicles would be scrapped annually in Japan, of which about 1 million would be exported, leaveing the reast for recycling. The number of scrapped vehicles is still fewer than expected.
Recently the Japanese export business of used automobiles is extremely prosperous.
According to media reports, the Chinese automaker increased their sales growth more than 70% year-on-year in the world. However, automobiles made in China have not been appraised all over the world except the price.
The certain president of the Chinese automaker said ”Automobiles made in China is still worse in quality than the Japanese one.”
The following are top 10 countries that Japan exported a largest number of automobiles. (The increase and decrease year-on-year)
1：Russian Federation （135%）
2：U.A.E （90%）
3：NZ （93%）
4：Chile （207%）
5：South Africa （154%）
6：Kenya （195%）
7：Pakistan （42%）
8：Philippines （129%）
9：U.K. （83%）
10：Singapore （84%）
Japan’s used vehicle exports for the January-December of 2006 surpassed the 1 million-mark for the first time on an annual basis since offical statistics of used vehicles were released by the authorities in Japan.
According to Custom House of Ministry of Finace, the full year 2006 figure totaled 1,137,884 unites, up 21 percent or 197,586 units larger than 2005 result.
Exports to Russia, the largest market of the Japanese Used vehicles, increased by 121,337 units in 2006 that largely contributed to the overall increase. Used vehicles bound for the second-largest market UAE, which had run on a brisk pace of double-digit increase for the first half of 2006, numbered 116,981 units for the year, slightly up 2.8 percent.
In contrast, exports to NewZealand sharply fell by 27.4 percent to 96,227 units in 2006, according to news reports printed in February issue of Japan Automotoive News.
According to the Japan Automobile Importers Association(JAIA), sales of foreign automakers in Japan fell 1.0% on the year to 246,604 vehicles in 2006.
Top three import brands increased their sales growth from 2005.
Volkswagen maintained the top position in sales race with a 1.8% increase (to 54,390 units), while Mercedes-Benz ranked second with a 7.7% increase (to 49,713 units).
BMW, ranked third, reported an increase of 9.0% on the year to 49,014 units.
The Big Three brands took 58.4% share in total imported market in 2006.
Sales of Lexus vehicles totaled 31,097 units in 2006. Combined sales of foreign brands and Japanese re-imports in 2006 declined 2.2% to 262,274 units.
