Japan may be 'dumping' cars in US, steelman says

The chairman of the nation's largest steel company said Monday that two Japanese automakers may be "dumping" cars in the United States -- selling them below the home-market price. David M. Roderick, chairman of United States Steel Corporation, said a survey comparing wholesale prices in eight US cities and in Tokyo indicated a dumping margin of between 14 and 20 percent. "In other words, Americans buy Japanese vehicles for 14 to 20 percent less than the Japanese do," Mr. Roderick told a news conference. He described the alleged pricing policy as "predatory."

A spokesman for Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. flatly denied the charge.