Japan's new car sales up 24.1 %

Japan's domestic sales of new vehicles rose 24.1 percent from a year earlier in November for the third consecutive monthly increase, data released by an industry body showed Thursday.Sales totaled 252,236 vehicles last month, following a 28.3 percent gain in October, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said.Of the total, 221,048 passenger cars were sold in the reporting month, up 23.9 percent from a year earlier. The figures don't include sales of mini cars. Japan's new car sales hit the record year-on-year fall of 51.0 percent in April since auto sales data began to be compiled in 1968.The magnitude 9.0-earthquake and tsunami on March 11 destroyed many factories in northeastern Japan and caused nationwide parts supply problems, especially for automakers. But automakers have enhanced production, and the association said the supply and demand balance has already come back to the pre-disaster level.