The organisation says that demand for passenger cars and commercial vehicles during Q2 and Q3 of 2011 declined as a result of supply shortages in the wake of the March 11 disaster.

As a result, total demand for passenger cars and commercial vehicles in 2011 has been revised to 4.25 million units, down 14.2% from the previous year.

Looking at passenger cars specifically, JAMA says that total demand is projected to decline 15% to 3.58 million cars compared to 2010 despite the firmly-established demand for eco-friendly cars and a return to normal levels of market supply in the latter part of the year.

Overall demand for trucks in 2011 is forecast to fall 9.7% from the previous year’s level even though Japan’s post-new long-term regulations on heavy-duty truck emissions had been expected to generate vehicle replacement demand in 2011, and despite the anticipation that post-quake reconstruction activities will trigger a year-on-year increase in demand for standard and small-size trucks beginning in Q4.