Sales of new imported vehicles in Japan, including those built abroad by Japanese automakers, rose 21.2 percent in November from a year before to 23,084 units, an industry body said Tuesday.
Of the total, sales of foreign-brand cars, trucks and buses increased 36.6 percent to 17,876, while those of Japanese-brand vehicles fell 12.7 percent to 5,208, the Japan Automobile Importers Association said.
By brand, Volkswagen retained the top spot on the sales list with 5,290 vehicles, up 85.5 percent from a year earlier, holding a market share of 22.92 percent.
Nissan ranked second with sales of 3,079 units, down 27.4 percent, and had a market share of 13.34 percent. BMW followed with sales of 2,792 units, up 3.4 percent, holding a market share of 12.09 percent.