Daihatsu overtaken as Japan’s top minicar seller | NHK WORLD-JAPAN News

Daihatsu Motor has been overtaken as Japan’s best-selling minicar maker for the first time in 18 years, as sales fell following a certification scandal.

The Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association says rival Suzuki Motor sold over 552,251 new minicars in Japan in the fiscal year ended in March.

Suzuki introduced new models and delivered 7 percent more of the smallest category of passenger vehicles than in the previous fiscal year.

Daihatsu minicar sales slumped to 443,694 units, a decline of about 22 percent from the previous year.

Daihatsu halted all domestic output in December last year after it was found to have faked tests to obtain government certificates.

The carmaker has resumed making and shipping models confirmed to meet government standards. But some models remain subject to a government order to halt shipments.