Domestic sales of new motor vehicles rose 2.6 percent in January from a year earlier for the fourth-straight monthly gain due chiefly to strong demand for recreational vehicles, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday.

Excluding minivehicles, 255,015 new cars, buses and trucks were sold in the reporting month, the association said.

"New cars are selling well, while sluggish sales of existing models are noticeable," an association official said. "But the upward trend is likely to continue."

Passenger car sales fell 0.5 percent from a year before to 184,936 units. Those with engine capacities of more than 2 liters fell 4.5 percent to 45,869 units, while smaller car sales rose 0.9 percent to 139,067 units.

Truck sales expanded 12.3 percent to 69,282 units, but bus sales sank 10.5 percent to 797 units.

Toyota Motor's sales expanded 2.6 percent to 110,420 units, while sales by Nissan Motor Co. edged up 0.1 percent to 50,037 units.

Sales by Honda Motor Co. grew 22.2 percent to 26,867 units, but Mazda Motor Corp., an affiliate of Ford Motor Co., suffered a 2.3 percent sales decline to 20,627 units.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. registered the biggest decline in the wake of a customer complaint and recall coverup scandal, with sales down 18.7 percent to 14,193 units.

Daihatsu Motor Co., a Toyota affiliate, more than tripled sales to 2,102 vehicles from 650 a year earlier, scoring the biggest percentage gain of all the automakers.

In a related development, the Japan Minivehicles Association said Thursday that sales of minivehicles in January dipped 2.5 percent to 122,217 units for the seventh-straight month of decline.

Minivehicles, which have engine capacities of up to 660cc, account for 30 percent of Japan's overall domestic auto sales.