Toyota Prius tops Japan''s car sales 9th straight month

Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius hybrid topped Japan's new car sales ranking in February, extending its winning streak to nine months with its sales almost doubling from a year earlier, industry bodies said Tuesday. Prius sales surged 87.7 percent on the year to 35,875 units, according to data released by the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. Honda Motor Co.'s Fit compact car came in second, up 48.0 percent to 24,973, followed by Daihatsu Motor Co.'s Mira minivehicle with its sales jumping 220 percent to 22, 023 vehicles. Sales of environmentally friendly vehicles in Japan have grown since the government resumed the eco-friendly car tax break program in December, which gives buyers a discount of up to JPY 100,000