Sales of new imported vehicles in Japan, including those made by Japanese manufacturers overseas, rose 1.1 percent in November from a year earlier to 22,752 units for the first rise in two months, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said Monday.
Sales of foreign-brand imports totaled 20,823 units, up 8.8 percent, but those of Japanese imports came to 1,929 units, down a hefty 42.7 percent, due mainly to a sharp drop in sales of Toyota Motor Corp. imports, the association said.
The November figures brought this year's cumulative imported vehicle sales to 245,822 units, down 0.7 percent from the first 11 months of last year.
Volkswagen remained the top-selling import brand for the second straight month, selling 5,277 units, up 24 percent from the year before. Volkswagen had a 23.19 percent share of the import market.
Mercedes-Benz stayed at second place for the second straight month, selling 3,384 units, down 10.6 percent, for a 14.87 percent share. BMW followed with a 14.46 percent share on a 4.3 percent fall in sales to 3,289 units.