Japan's top automakers saw August sales slide year-on-year in China. The drop is ascribed to lower prices for electric vehicles that cut into demand for gasoline and hybrid models made by the Japanese companies.

Toyota Motor says sales in China slumped 13.5 percent to around 152,000 units. Honda Motor fared worse with a slump of 44.3 percent to about 57,100 vehicles. Nissan Motor reported a drop of 24.2 percent to roughly 49,200 units.

Two other Japanese automakers in China also suffered a drop in sales.

For global sales, Toyota posted a 3.1 percent decline by units. One major factor was a 9 percent drop in the domestic market after the company was forced to suspend production of some models due to rigged certification tests.

However, in the US market, five out of six Japanese automakers reported a year-on-year increase, backed by strong demand for hybrids.