AUTOSHOW-FACTBOX-Five facts about the Japanese car market

Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:28am EDT

TOKYO, Oct 13 (Reuters) - The 41st Tokyo Motor Show opens next week in what will be the most subdued, thinly represented event in memory with practically no foreign car brand attending.

The four domestic truck makers have also pulled out as Japan faces a 32-year low in new vehicle sales in the financial year to March.

Following are five facts about the Japanese auto market, the world's third biggest after China and the United States.

* New vehicle sales in Japan peaked in 1990, at 7.777 million vehicles. In 2008, sales totalled 5.082 million units.

* Home to eight passenger-car makers, Japan is the world's biggest producer of cars, with output of 9.916 million vehicles in 2008, although China is likely to surpass it this year.

* In Japan, nine different taxes are levied on car buyers and users, making it one of the most expensive countries in which to own a car. Japan's related taxes are roughly 38 times comparable taxes in the United States and 2.4 times those of Britain's, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association. In fiscal 2007, automobile-related taxes totalled nearly 9 trillion yen ($100 billion), accounting for 9.4 percent of Japan's overall tax revenues.

* Japan has a unique 660cc minivehicle segment that makes up more than one-third of the auto market and gets preferential tax treatment. Suzuki Motor Corp (7269.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Daihatsu Motor Co (7262.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) together make up more than two-thirds of this market.

* Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) dominates overall, accounting for 45 percent of vehicle sales, excluding 660cc minivehicles. Imports account for just 7 percent. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Chris Gallagher)