Toyota Prius Japan's top selling vehicle in June

Toyota Motor's Prius has become the first fuel-sipping hybrid car to outsell all other vehicles in Japan last month, boosting the automaker's recovery efforts, according to industry figures.

Helped by the launch of a remodelled version, Toyota sold 22,292 Prius vehicles in June, up from 6,231 in the same month last year, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association reported.

Honda's Fit was in second place with sales of 13,016 vehicles.

In May the Prius had already become the top-selling car -- a category that excludes popular mini-vehicles with engines of up to 660 cc -- and in June it outsold all autos, including mini-vehicles, the figures showed.

Japanese automakers have made strides with hybrid cars -- which are powered both by petrol and electricity -- due to high oil prices and growing concern about emissions blamed for global warming.

The Japanese giant has sold more than 1.25 million Prius vehicles since its launch in 1997, making it the world's most popular hybrid.

It says the new model, which was launched in mid-May, is cheaper and more fuel efficient than the two previous generations.

Rival Honda has also enjoyed strong sales of its Insight hyrid, which was Japan's top-selling car in April.

Automakers hope that the popularity of fuel-efficient vehicles, helped by government tax breaks, will re-energise the flagging auto market, which has been battered by the global economic downturn.

Toyota overtook US rival General Motors in 2008 as the world's top selling automaker, but it fell into the red for the first time in the year to March with a net loss of 436.9 billion yen (4.6 billion dollars).