Tax credits aimed at encouraging Japanese drivers to buy fuel efficient cars seem to be working nicely. Nissan reports sales for May rose 30 percent compared with the same month last year. Nissan's domestic rivals, Honda and Toyota, also have reported sharp increases in sales.
STEVE INSKEEP, host: NPR's business news starts with the boost for Nissan.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Let's not even think for a moment about the U.S. car market. Last year was so dismal for Japanese car sales that Tokyo decided to offer tax breaks that can lower the price of a car by 10 percent. These credits encouraged Japanese drivers to buy fuel-efficient cars.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Today, Nissan reported sales for May rose 30 percent compared to the same month last year. Japan's number three carmaker tweaked the engines of several of its models so that more would be eligible for the benefit and it launched a big marketing campaign. Nissan's domestic rivals, Honda and Toyota, have also reported sharp increases in sales.