Sales of used automobiles in Japan in August fell 11.2 pct from a year before to 301,628 units, posting a year-on-year drop for the 29th straight month, an industry group said.

The sale figure was the lowest in 26 years for the month of August, according to the Japan Automobile Dealers Association. The data cover vehicles with engine displacements of over 660 c.c., with minivehicles with smaller engines excluded.

The drop was attributable to a decrease in the number of high-quality trade-in vehicles reflecting a slump in new vehicle sales, association officials said.

Of the total, sales of used passenger cars fell 13.7 pct to 251,661 units.

Of them, sales of cars with engine displacements of up to 2,000 c.c. were down 16.2 pct at 130,934 units, the lowest for August since the association started the survey in 1978. Sales of cars with larger engines sank 10.7 pct to 120,727 units.

Truck sales rose 6.2 pct to 41,121 units, the first increase in 23 months, while bus sales dropped 12.8 pct to 1,008 units.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius gasoline-electric hybrid car ranked as the 10th best-selling vehicle in Japan in August, industry data showed.

Sales of the Prius rose 13.3 pct from a year before to 4,708 units in August, when Toyota announced plans to raise its price in September due to rising costs for steel and other materials.

Suzuki Motor Corp.’s Wagon R minivehicle took the top slot for the eighth straight month with sales of 13,737 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and Japan Mini Vehicles Association said.

Five of the 10 top-selling models were minivehicles with engine displacement of up to 660 c.c., indicating that fuel-efficient vehicles continue to be popular at a time of soaring fuel prices.

Honda Motor Co.’s Fit subcompact came in second with sales of 11,770 units, followed by Daihatsu Motor Co.’s Tanto minivehicle with 10,718 units.

Among larger vehicles, Honda’s Freed minivan ranked seventh with 5,931 units.

Honda Motor Co. has revived the model name for the long-awaited dedicated hybrid vehicle tasked with taking on the Toyota Prius. And like its rival, the Insight will be a five-door, five-passenger hatchback.

A concept version of the new Insight will debut at the Paris auto show next month, Honda announced today. The car is expected in U.S. showrooms in April.

The name is a carryover from Honda’s first crack at the hybrid segment. The first-generation Insight was billed as the first mass-produced hybrid vehicle sold in the United States.

But the first generation had just two seats and sold only 17,001 units from its launch in 1999 to 2006, when production ended. The Insight was easily eclipsed by the Prius, which has sold more than 1 million units since 1997 and remains the world’s best-selling hybrid vehicle.

“The name Insight was chosen to denote Honda’s ‘insight’ into a new era in which hybrid vehicles come within reach of most car buyers,” the company said in a release.

Honda has bigger ambitions for the second-generation Insight. The automaker expects annual sales of 200,000 vehicles worldwide, with about half being sold in North America.

The car will sit on a new platform in which the battery and control unit are beneath the cargo space. The gasoline engine will be the main power source, and the electric motor will assist when extra power is needed, such as during passing, starting and accelerating.

Honda did not release other details but said it has made advances in cost control.

“Thanks to reductions in the weight and size of the Insight’s key components, Honda has also achieved significant cost reductions,” the automaker said.

Honda already has said the car will be slightly smaller and lighter than the Civic Hybrid — the only hybrid in Honda’s lineup. It also will be priced lower than the Civic and Prius.

The Civic Hybrid’s base price is $22,600, and the Prius starts at $21,500.

The next-generation Insight kicks off a flurry of hybrid launches for Honda as it tries to catch Toyota in the race for greener vehicles. Honda also plans a sporty hybrid based on the CR-Z, a new generation of the Civic Hybrid and a hybrid version of its compact Fit.

“The name Insight was chosen to denote Honda’s ‘insight’ into a new era in which hybrid vehicles come within reach of most car buyers,” Honda Motor Co. said in its release.

Honda has bigger ambitions for the second generation Insight. It is eyeing annual sales of 200,000 vehicles worldwide, with about half being sold in North America.

The car will sit on a new platform in which the battery and control unit are located beneath the cargo space. The gasoline engine will serve as the main power source, and the electric motor will assist when extra power is needed, such as during passing, start up and acceleration.

Honda did not release other details, but said it has made advances in cost control.

“Thanks to reductions in the weight and size of the Insight’s key components, Honda has also achieved significant cost reductions,” the company said.

Honda already has said the car will be slightly smaller and lighter than the Civic Hybrid — the only hybrid now in Honda’s lineup. It will also be priced lower than the Civic and Prius.

The Civic Hybrid’s base price is $22,600, and the Prius starts at $21,500.

The next generation Insight kicks off a flurry of hybrid launches for Honda as it tries to catch Toyota in the race for greener vehicles. Honda is also planning a sporty hybrid based on the CR-Z, a new generation of the Civic hybrid and finally a hybrid version of its compact Fit.