SLUMP IN JAPAN LEADS YANASE TO POST FIRST LOSS IN 3 YEARS.

TOKYO - Yanase & Co., the importer and distributor of Mercedes, Opel, Cadillac, Chevrolet and Saab cars in Japan, swung into the red for the first time in three years in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

A weak car market in general and slumping imports in particular hurt Yanase. But a five-month delay in the debut of the Opel Astra, which led to a 29 percent drop in Astra sales for the year, hit especially hard.

There is little sign that Japan's economy will improve in the coming year. Even so, Yanase predicted that its sales will rebound in the current fiscal year because of a backlog of orders for the Mercedes A class, M class and S class.

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