Three of Japan's five major automakers registered domestic sales expansions in April thanks to new models, according to data released Thursday.
Toyota Motor Corp. saw local sales edge up 0.7 percent from a year earlier to 120,182 vehicles, the first rise in two months, while Nissan Motor Co. sales gained 1.2 percent to 46,368 for the fifth straight month of increase. Honda Motor Co.'s sales in Japan expanded for the 17th consecutive month, rising 13.7 percent to 62,787.
Meanwhile, sales by Mazda Motor Corp. fell for the eighth straight month, slipping 8.2 percent to 19,057 vehicles, while Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s sales were down 20.6 percent to 29,337 for the ninth consecutive month of decline.