Toyota Prius Becomes First Hybrid Best Selling Car In Japan

TOKYO, July 6 (Bernama)-- Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius is the best-selling automobile among all models including minivehicles in Japan in the month of June, the Jiji Press reported Monday, citing the industry data as saying.

The Toyota Prius became the first hybrid vehicle to witn the title.

With its sales totalling 22,292 units, the Prius was also the first non-minivehicle model to top the monthly best-seller list since December 2007, when Honda Motor Co.'s Fit subcompact car took the position, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association.

The Prius drew brisk demand thanks to a subsidy program introduced by the government recently to promote new auto purchases and tax breaks for eco-friendly vehicles.

In May, the Prius was the best-selling model among automobiles with engine displacements of over 660 c.c. and ranked third among all models including minivehicles equipped with 600-c.c. or smaller engines.

The third-generation model of the Prius, launched on May 18, has proved very popular partly because it is priced at a relatively reasonable level of 2.05 million yen. Orders for the remodeled Prius have already topped 200,000.

Quoting the JADA data, Jiji Press reported that Suzuki Motor Corp.'s Wagon R and Daihatsu Motor Co.'s Move, both minivehicles, came second and third, respectively, in June. Sales totaled 16,185 units for the Wagon R and 14,935 units for the Move.

Daihatsu's Tanto, also a minivehicle, came fourth, with sales reaching 13,243 units.

Honda's Insight hybrid ranked seventh with sales of 8,782 units. In January-June, the Wagon R was the best-selling model with sales of 111,599 units, followed by the Move with sales of 102,032 units and the Tanto with sales of 80,425 units.

The Prius was fifth with sales of 51,410 units in the first half of 2009.

Source: BERNAMA

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