Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid was the best-selling car in August, its ninth straight month at the top, data released by industry bodies showed Tuesday.
Toyota sold 17,503 units of the fuel efficient car, marking a roughly 2.6-fold year-on-year increase, ahead of Honda Motor Co.'s N-Box minicar that sold 13,276 units, up 27.7 percent. Toyota's Aqua hybrid ranked third with 11,220 units, down 9.4 percent.
In August, four minicars made it into the top 10 ranking, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association.
Daihatsu Motor Co.'s Tanto was the second best-selling minicar after Honda's N-Box, ranking fourth with 10,677 units, up 4.8 percent.
Among the other top-selling minicar models was Nissan Motor Co.'s Dayz, whose supplies were temporarily halted due to a fuel economy manipulation scandal engulfing Mitsubishi Motors Corp. earlier this year. Mitsubishi Motors supplies the model to Nissan.
Nissan's Dayz came in sixth with 7,268 units, despite a 21.2 percent fall. Mitsubishi Motors saw an 18.0 percent rise in sales of the eK Wagon and eK Space, which were also hit by the latest scandal, to 2,454 units after production resumed in July.
Minivehicles, which come with engines no larger than 660 cc, are a category unique to the Japanese market.