This year, the interchangeable-lens camera market is expected to be 6.1 million units, slightly higher than last year, due to the active promotions by each company to stimulate demand and the growing demand among young people in China.
In the third quarter, we secured more orders than expected for the EOS R5 Mark II, a core model in our lineup for professionals and enthusiasts, launched in August, which was highly evaluated for its significantly improved still image and video performance. This led to an increase in our average selling price and sales growth of 5.3%.
Furthermore, in November, we plan to launch the EOS R1, which will be our flagship mirrorless camera model. Professional photographers have already tried it out in the field, and its outstanding autofocus performance has earned it a high reputation as a professional camera. Due to the launch of high-value-added models, we also expect sales of RF lenses to increase and are aiming to significantly expand sales by over 20% in the fourth quarter.
