Sales of imported new vehicles in Japan, including those built abroad by Japanese automakers, grew 14.8 percent in April to 17,881 units, an industry body said Monday.
Sales of foreign-brand cars surged 17.4 percent to 15,167 units while those of Japanese-brand vehicles grew 1.9 percent to 2,714 units compared with a year earlier, according to the Japan Automobile Importers Association.
By brand, Mercedes-Benz ranked first with 3,189 units sold, up 35.6 percent, for a market share of 17.8 percent. Volkswagen came second with 2,549 units, down 10.7 percent, for a share of 14.3 percent. BMW was third with 2,401 units, up 48.8 percent, for a share of 13.4 percent.
Among Japanese brands, Nissan's sales rose 1 percent to 1,410 units, while Toyota sold 1,030 units, up 8.2 percent.