Toyota, Honda increase US sales

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LOS ANGELES, May 5 (Bloomberg): Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Honda Motor Co., the automakers hardest hit by Japan's record earthquake, managed U.S. sales gains in April that may be their last for a few months. The increases, reported Wednesday, trailed the industrywide surge of 18 per cent from a year earlier. Sales rose 1.3 per cent at Toyota, Japan's largest carmaker, and 9.8 per cent at Tokyo- based Honda. Nissan Motor Co. posted a 12 per cent gain, and Hyundai Motor Co. (005380) said its sales jumped 40 per cent. Japan's March 11 quake and tsunami hobbled assembly work at Toyota and Honda, with both estimating they won't fully restore worldwide production until this year's fourth quarter. While most global automakers reported some effect on operations from disruptions at Japan-based parts suppliers, the output reductions for Toyota and Honda have been the steepest and left them unable to meet rebounding U.S. demand. Toyota and Honda are unable to take full advantage of rising demand for the types of fuel-efficient models.