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TOKYO — Toyota's Prius ranked as Japan's best-selling car in October, keeping the No. 1 spot for the 18th straight month even as sales tumbled due to the termination of subsidies for green cars.
Toyota Motor Corp., the world's largest automaker, sold 21,769 Prius cars last month, down 19.1 percent year-on-year, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said Friday.
Prius sales declined for the second straight month as government subsidies for eco-friendly cars expired in early September. Japan still has tax breaks aimed at boosting demand for green cars like the Prius.
Honda Motor Co.'s energy-efficient Fit compact car came in second, with 14,034 vehicles sold last month, the association said.
The gasoline-electric hybrid Prius went on sale for the first time in 1997, beating rivals as the first mass-produced hybrid car with over two million sold worldwide at the end of September, according to Toyota.
