JAPAN: Prius best seller for three years

According to Khabarkhodro,Toyota's Prius hybrid was the best selling vehicle in Japan for the third straight year in fiscal 2011, industry bodies said.

Sales rose 9.6% year on year to 310,484 units, supported by the government's reintroduction of subsidies for purchases of new eco-friendly vehicles, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association told Kyodo News.

Honda's Fit [Jazz] remained second best seller at 234,432 units, up 23.8%, followed by Suzuki's WagonR minicar. But WagonR sales dipped 1.7% to 174,225 units, said the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.

Daihatsu's Mira and Move minicars were fourth and fifth, respectively.

Daihatsu accounted for three of the 10 best sellers, while Toyota, Honda and Suzuki each had two, and Nissan Motor one.

In March, the Prius captured the top slot for the 10th straight month with sales at 45,496 units, about 2.3 times those of a year earlier.

The Fit came in second place, with sales expanding 53.3% to 34,161 units, followed by Daihatsu's Mira that sold 29,721 units, about 3.6 times more.