JAPANESE TO LIMIT SALES

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33958, 26 September 1975, Page 12

JAPANESE TO LIMIT SALES

Datsun and Toyota have said that they will restrict their sales in Britain next year, the Press Association has reported. The two companies have been the main ones behind the rapid expansion of Japanese car sales in Britain. •

Datsun will keep its British sales to about 60,000 cars, about the same level as in each of the last three years. Toyota will cut its sales slightly from this year’s target of 21,000 to about 20,000. Mazda hopes to increase its sales slightly to about 10,000 cars and Honda hopes to sell about 12.000.

British industry spokesmen say that the Japanese firms have taken a “less aggressive” attitude to selling in Britain because of the attitude of the British industry and trade unions — some of which have called for Government intervention to restrict sales of Japanese cars.

It has been estimated that during the last year

more than half the private buyers of new cars in Britain — as opposed to the fleet operators and business firms — have bought! imported cars rather thanl British models. Meanwhile British Ley- I land has posted notices in’ all its factories saying that I some of its 116,000' employees will have to bej sacked unless the firm’s: fortunes improve. The com-i pany has already cut its! staff by 21,000 through voluntary retirement; schemes.' and it has beer reported that it is considering a further cut of! 10.000 to 15,000 men.

Leyland lost about $19.3m in the first six months of this year, before the company was national-1 ised.