TOKYO, April 24, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Japan's three biggest automakers Toyota, Nissan and Honda said Thursday they all saw a spike in US sales last month, as consumers sought to dodge tariffs on vehicle imports.

President Donald Trump imposed in early April a 25-percent surcharge on automobiles imported into the United States in an attempt to revive the country's manufacturing prowess.

Reports at the time suggested US consumers had rushed to dealerships to purchase vehicles before the levies entered into force, something that Thursday's data backed up.

Toyota, the world's top-selling carmaker, said unit sales in the US market surged 7.7 percent year-on-year in March, to around 231,300 vehicles.

This was "due to continued strong demand as well as a rush in demand before the tariffs took effect", it said.

Nissan also reported US sales up 9.9 percent year-on-year in March, while Honda saw a spike of 13.2 percent.

Japanese companies are the biggest investors into the United States and Japan is a vital strategic ally for Washington.

But the country has so far failed to secure any exemptions from Trump's levies in face-to-face trade negotiations.

Vehicles accounted for around 28 percent of Japan's 21.3 trillion yen ($149 billion) of US-bound exports last year.

About 50 percent of cars sold in the United States are manufactured within the country. Among imports, about half come from Mexico and Canada, with Japan, South Korea and Germany also major suppliers.