Sales of new imported vehicles jumped 74.9 percent in August to 19,718 units, climbing for the 10th consecutive month, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said Monday.

Of the total, sales of Japanese cars, trucks and buses made overseas surged to 5,690 units from 1,105 the previous year, while sales of imported foreign vehicles rose 38 percent to 14,028 units, the association said.

By brand, Nissan topped the rankings with sales of 4,729 vehicles, up sharply from a mere 21 vehicles the year before.

Volkswagen ranked second with sales of 3,899 vehicles, up 69.2 percent, followed by BMW with 2,424 vehicles, up 35.2 percent.