TOKYO: New vehicle sales in Japan rose 6.9 percent in July from a year before to 405,174 units, the first growth in seven months, as Daihatsu Motor Co. fully resumed production after months of suspension due to its test fraud, industry data showed Thursday.

Mini vehicle sales jumped 12.9 percent to 141,980 units, and sales of larger vehicles rose 3.9 percent to 263,194 units, according to the data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association.

Daihatsu’s sales climbed 31.4 percent.

Mazda Motor Corp.’s sales plunged 24.2 percent, and Toyota Motor Corp.’s sales edged down 0.6 percent. They suspended shipments of some models after announcing fraudulent vehicle test cases in June. Toyota unveiled more fraud cases on Wednesday.

There are many uncertainties about future vehicle sales, an official at the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said.

JIJI Press