April Vehicle Sales Nearly Double in Japan

Sales of passenger and commercial vehicles in Japan surged to 359,600 units last month, up 94% from April 2011, according to industry reports.

April sales of cars, trucks and buses soared to 209,000 units from 108,800 a year earlier, says the Japan Automobile Dealers Assn. Demand for minivehicles, which are powered by engines displacing 660 cc or less, zoomed 96% to 150,700 units.

JADA says government incentives to buyers of fuel-efficient vehicles helped boost demand from last year's post-quake lows.

Among Japan's major carmakers, Toyota posted the biggest increase, nearly tripling volume to 102,600 vehicles. Sales last month grew 12% to 30,600 units at Honda and 52% to 23,500 units at Nissan.