Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid was the best-selling vehicle in the nation in January, leading for the eighth consecutive month, industry bodies said Thursday.
Sales of the hatchback model totaled 22,306 units, up 289.3 percent from a year ago, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said.
Toyota cars took three of the top 10 slots in the reporting month, including minicars, with the Vitz ranking seventh and the Corolla ninth, the association and the Japan Mini Vehicles Association said.
The data came two days after a report that Toyota's new car sales in the United States sank 15.8 percent in January to 98,796 units.