Japan 2021 1st-half new car sales up 11.6%, below pre-pandemic level

New car sales in Japan increased 11.6 percent in the first half of 2021 from a year earlier, but fell short of a rebound from the pre-coronavirus pandemic level in 2019 due to a global shortage of semiconductors, industry body data showed Thursday. Automakers sold a total of 2,464,586 units including minivehicles from the January to June period, rising for the first time in two years following the steep pandemic-induced fall in 2020, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association. However, compared to the same period in 2019, sales fell 10.5 perce...