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Tokyo, Feb. 3 (Bloomberg) -- Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. led the fifth straight rise in Japan's auto sales last month, as new models lured customers to car showrooms.

Sales of cars, trucks and buses, excluding minivehicles, for the country's 11 automakers increased 4.5 percent to 259,661 units in January, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said. Mitsubishi Motors said sales jumped 37 percent to 14,544 last month thanks to its only new model release in Japan last year, while Nissan sold 52,326 units, a 7.8 percent rise.

Japan's carmakers are tempting consumers to part with their cash by releasing new models such as Nissan's Skyline Coupe car and Toyota Motor Corp.'s Wish minivan. Competition for new customers is intensifying in an economic environment where consumer spending has been declining for 4 1/2 years.

Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's largest automaker, sold 107,636 units last month, an increase of 2.1 percent. Toyota released its Wish minivan in January and will introduce more models this year in a bid to win 43 percent of the domestic market, up half a point from last year.

Mazda Motor Corp., Japan's fifth-largest automaker, said sales rose 12 percent to 19,448 units as it benefited from its new Atenza sedan and Demio compact cars, compared with last year, when it had no new models. Mazda rose 1.6 percent to 252 yen.

Passenger car sales rose 7.1 percent to 207,183 units last month. Cars with engines of more than 2 liters increased for the first time in four months to 43,688 units, an 8.6 percent jump. Honda's revamped Accord sedan, released last October, is helping sales in this segment. Cars with smaller engines rose 6.7 percent to 163,495 units, JADA said.

Some analysts and industry watchers say there are small signs of a recovery in the Japanese auto market as demand is at historical lows. Customers want to buy vehicles that aren't so available in the second-hand market, such as compacts and minivans, forcing them to look for new cars, analysts said. Second-hand car sales fell 3.1 percent to 5.36 million units last, the second-straight year of declines.

Demand for compacts and minivans are likely to continue this year, with Mitsubishi Motors bringing out its Grandis minivan in May and Nissan will release a compact minivan based on its Cube.

Truck sales fell 5 percent to 51,446 units last month. Sales of commercial vehicles are at record lows in the world's second-largest economy because cuts in public works spending last year meant demand for trucks by construction companies waned.

Still, sales of large-sized trucks increased for the first time in three months, rising 24 percent to 4,641 units. Companies are buying large-sized trucks that meet emission standards the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will make effective from October this year, said truckmaker Isuzu Motors Ltd. spokesman Tadashi Ioka.

Hino Motor Co., Japan's largest truckmaker, sold 1,886 units last month, a 23 percent increase, while rival Isuzu sold 3,445 units, a 21 percent increase. Nissan Diesel Motor Co., Japan's No. 4 truckmaker, said sales rose 27 percent to 996 units.

korchen

I was in Japan over the holidays and it definitely seemed like Toyotas were in the majority over there.