Toyota's Prius Best-Selling Car in 2016
The Japan Automobile Dealers Association year announced January 10 the aggregate number of automobiles sold the last year 2016. The figures show Toyota's new hybrid model Prius topped others for the first time in four years selling 248,258.
Honda's N-Box sold plus 0.8% but trailed behind Prius with 186,367 and a smaller hybrid Aqua placed third with 168,208 (-22.0%), another Toyota that had sold most the year before. Honda N-Box was put in the market back in 1999 and has kept up steady public support without any full model changes. The general trend continues to indicate more customers are going for hybrids and light vehicles of less fuel consumption and maintenance cost.
Placed fourth was Daihatsu's Tant, selling 155,998 (-1.1%), followed by Toyota's new model Sienta, marketed in summer 2015 selling 125,832 or plus 96.9% by virtue of its fresh impact.
Meanwhile, the Japan Automobile Importers' Association reports that BMW's Mini that had installed a variety of popular models to outsell Volkswagen's Golf that had dominated the crown for years since the start of the survey in 1988.
The overall ranking in December 2016 lists Honda's N-Box at the top with 14,967 (25.6%) for the first time in three months and Toyota's Prius the second with 12,776 (-22.1). Nissan's Note dropped from the first place in November down to the third place with 12,403 (+97.8%).
As regards Nissan's Note, the company has marketed Note e-Power, an electric automobile with a gasoline-powered dynamo. Nissan e-Power is meant to relieve the electric automobile Leaf. Note e-Power employs its engine solely for generating power and cruises 100% on the motor. (Nathan Shiga)
