Domestic sales of new motor vehicles fell 7 percent in October from a year earlier to 296,084 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Thursday.

This constituted a second straight monthly fall and the steepest fall registered during 2001, surpassing the 4.1 percent decline registered in September, the association said.

The data exclude sales of minivehicles those with engine capacities of up to 660cc and specialty vehicles such as trailers.

"Sales for the whole of 2001 may fall below year-before levels as a result of the recession and the fallout from the Sept. 11 hijack attacks in the United States," an association official said.

Car sales fell 4.9 percent to 220,334 units, marking a second straight monthly dip.

Of this tally, sales of cars with engine sizes of more than 2000cc rose 2.9 percent to 57,891 units, while those of cars with smaller engines fell 7.4 percent to 162,443 units.

Sales of trucks declined 12.9 percent to 74,658 units, marking a sixth consecutive monthly fall and the lowest sales performance for October since the association began compiling relevant statistics in 1968.

Sales of buses rose 28.6 percent to 1,092 units.

In terms of automakers, Toyota Motor Corp. stayed No.1. the top seller, selling 135,780 units, although even this figure represented an 8.1 percent fall.

Nissan Motor Co. ranked second, logging sales of 50,466 units, down 6.1 percent.

Honda Motor Co. came in third, with its sales rising 19.2 percent to 44,197 units.

Meanwhile, sales of minivehicles rose 6.4 percent in October from a year earlier to 141,496 units, the first increase in 16 months, the Japan Mini Vehicles Association said.

Suzuki Motor Corp. was the top seller of minivehicles, selling 44,016 units, up 0.8 percent.

Daihatsu Motor Co., a Toyota subsidiary, placed second with sales of 38,558 units, down 6.3 percent, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Corp. with sales of 22,720 units, up 49.6 percent.