China sales decline for Mitsubishi and Mazda

Mitsubishi and Mazda have reported a plunge in China sales for September when tensions between Japan and China escalated into anti-Japanese riots.

Mitsubishi said its China sales dived 63% to 2,340 vehicles in September from 6,307 a year earlier.

Mazda said its sales in China sank 36% to 13,258 vehicles for the month.

Japanese media reports said Toyota had also suffered a sales plunge in China, but the world’s biggest car maker would not confirm that. It said it would release September sales figures on Tuesday as planned.

Japan and China have been at odds over the sovereignty of a group of tiny islands in the East China Sea.

Tensions boiled over last month, with anti-Japanese protests and riots sweeping dozens of Chinese cities.

Mazda said it was difficult to measure how much of its September sales decline was due to the row between Tokyo and Beijing.

It said some of its dealerships were damaged during the riots. In August, Mazda’s China sales were down 5.5% from a year earlier to 16,539 vehicles.