Daihatsu's Tanto best-selling car in June for third straight month

The Tanto minicar was Japan's best-selling model in June, retaining the top spot for the third straight month, industry groups said Friday.

Sales of the Daihatsu Motor car surged 101.8 percent from a year earlier to 21,323 units, while sales of many other models remained sluggish following the April 1 consumption tax hike, according to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Aqua came second with 19,812 cars sold, down 2.4 percent from a year before, followed by Honda Motor Co.'s Fit with 16,066 units, up 31.8 percent.

Minicars, with engines up to 660 cc, took six of the top 10 slots, with Suzuki Motor Corp.'s Wagon R coming in fourth with 14,153 units, down 18.1 percent, followed by Honda's N-Box with 14,039 units, down 20.6 percent.

Toyota's Prius ranked fifth with its sales falling 37.8 percent to 13,557 units.

For the first six months of 2014, the Tanto took the top spot with 135,688 units, up 92.8 percent from a year earlier, followed by the Aqua and the Fit, according to the data.