Top Japanese Automakers Toyota, Honda And Nissan Sold 2.4 Million Vehicles In The US In First Half Of 2013; Toyota and Honda Both Up 6.4% While Nissan Jumped Over 9% [CORRECTION]

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The top three Japanese automakers on Tuesday reported selling a combined 2.4 million cars and light trucks in the U.S. in the first six months of 2013, led by perennial Japanese leader in the U.S. market Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM), which sold 1.1 million of the total.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (TYO:7201) reported the biggest jump from the first half of 2012, 9.4 percent or 572,476 units, selling a sliver more cars in March than Honda.

For June, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE:HMC) reported selling 136,915 units, or nearly 14 percent more vehicles than it sold in June 2012, led by record sales of its highly popular CR-V and Pilot crossovers. So far this year Honda has sold more than 745,000 units, up 6.4 percent from the first half of last year.

Honda’s Odyssey minivan saw the biggest jump in sales at 26 percent last month.

Toyota, the world’s largest automaker and the third-biggest seller in the United States, sold nearly 10 percent more vehicles in June than in the same month last year.

“The auto industry led the economic recovery through the first half of 2013, kicking off a strong summer selling season, which we expect will carry into the second half of the year," said Bill Fay, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager.

Nissan sold 9.4 percent fewer units in June than it did in May but 16.1 percent more units than it did in June 2012, or 95,010 vehicles, led by strong demand for the new designs of the company’s core models: the Pathfinder SUV, the Altima and the Sentra sedans.