Domestic sales of imported vehicles dropped 4.9 percent in January from a year earlier to 15,000 units, marking a fifth consecutive month of decline, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said Wednesday.
Sales of vehicles manufactured by foreign automakers dropped 4.1 percent from a year earlier to 14,206, while sales of those made at overseas plants operated by Japanese automakers decreased 17.6 percent to 794.
By brand, Volkswagen was the top seller in the month, logging a 24.81 percent market share and sales of 3,721 vehicles, down 2.8 percent.
Volkswagen was followed by Mercedes-Benz, which captured a 16.53 percent market share and posted sales of 2,479 units, down 28.3 percent.
BMW came third, logging a 10.57 percent market share, followed by Volvo, Opel and Peugeot, and sales of 1,585 vehicles, up 8.4 percent, while Volvo came fourth, capturing a 6.79 percent market share and sales of 1,019 units, down 7.1 percent.
Opel ranked fifth, logging a 4.31 percent share and sales of 646 vehicles, down 1.8 percent.
Peugeot came sixth, following a sales surge of 33.5 percent to 629 units, while Honda was seventh, selling 612 vehicles, up 33.9 percent.