Year of Horsepower: Car industry shifts gears

Japanese brands recover from boycotts

A sign with a logo is on display at a Toyota car sales and showroom in St. Petersburg, Sept 18, 2013. [Photo/Agencies]

Japanese automakers' sales in China increased in 2013, recovering from a sharp decline a year earlier.

The slump in 2012 was caused by anti-Japanese sentiment among Chinese consumers following escalated territorial disputes between the two countries.

However, analysts said doubts remain for Japanese car producers in the world's largest automobile market because of fluctuating Sino-Japanese relations.

Major Japanese automakers - including Toyota, Honda and Nissan - all reported high sales increase in 2013.

However, analyst said that the sales increases, especially the high figures for the fourth quarter seem particularly large in proportion to the low sales seen since tensions broke out in September 2012.

Statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that in September 2012, Japanese producers' combined sales fell by 29.5 percent from August and by 40.8 percent from a year earlier. Sales remained tepid for months.

Analysts said Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent visit to the controversial Yasukuni war shrine will probably cause another flare-up of anger from Chinese consumers and possibly renew the backlash against Japanese products.