U.S. new car sales in July grow 8.9%, led by Japanese manufacturers.

NEW YORK, Aug. 1 Kyodo

New car sales in the United States in July grew 8.9 percent to 1,153,682 units, led by major Japanese automakers continuing to enjoy robust sales growth, according to data released Wednesday by a U.S. research firm.

Among such Japanese carmakers, Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales jumped 26.1 percent from a year earlier to 164,898 units, Honda Motor Co.'s soared 45.3 percent to 116,944 units and Nissan Motor Co.'s rose 16.2 percent to 98,341 units, according to Autodata Corp.

General Motors Co. retained the top position in the U.S. market in the reporting month with a share of 17.4 percent, although its sales dropped 6.4 percent to 201,237 units, followed by Ford Motor Co., whose sales also declined, down 3.8 percent to 173,482 units for a share of 15.0 percent.

Toyota remained in third place with a market share of 14.3 percent, posting a sales increase for the ninth month in a row after a 60.3 percent surge in June. Honda and Nissan also continued marking double-digit growth after posting increases of 48.8 percent and 28.2 percent the previous month.

Struggling after being hit by parts supply disruptions stemming from the March 2011 disaster in Japan, the Japanese makers have been on a full recovery path as attested by their continued sales growth.

The other "Big Three" U.S. automaker, Chrysler Group LLC, posted a rise of 12.3 percent in sales to 122,379 units, staying in the No. 4 slot with a 10.6 percent share.

The combined sales of the three U.S. carmakers edged down 1.4 percent to 497,098 units for a combined market share of 43.1 percent, down from 46.4 percent in June.

Among other Japanese carmakers, Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., known for its Subaru brand, saw its sales climb 15.9 percent to 25,183 units.

In contrast, Mazda Motor Corp.'s sales decreased 7.0 percent to 19,318 units and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. saw its sales continue dropping, down 47.4 percent to 4,194 units after a 34.8 percent fall in June. Suzuki Motor Corp. sold 2,266 units, down 7.4 percent.