Japan's new car sales jump 40.9%

Kuwait News Agency (Tokyo) - Japan's domestic sales of new vehicles jumped 40.9 percent from a year earlier in June for the 10th consecutive monthly increase, data released by an industry body showed Monday.

Sales of new cars, trucks and buses totaled 317,152 vehicles last month, following a 66.3-percent growth in May, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said.

The figures don't include sales of mini cars. By automaker, Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales soared 69.7 percent to 148,788 vehicles, followed by Honda Motor Co. with 45,159 units, up 50.3 percent.

Japan's new car sales rebounded since last September after automakers mostly restored their parts supply chains disrupted by the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Resumption of government subsidies for fuel-efficient cars from late December has also helped push sales. The JPY 300 billion (USD 3.8 billion) subsidy programs provide an allowance of up to about JPY 100,000 (USD 1,200) for eco-friendly cars till the end of January 2013. However, the program may end much earlier if the budget dries up.