Japanese car buyers are still auto otaku. In May, new car sales in Japan rose for the tenth straight month. Total sales of registered vehicles are up 28 percent to 228,514 units, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association told The Nikkei [sub].

Not only are the sales growing, the cars are getting bigger too. Of the 207,272 passenger cars sold in May, 101,891 were standard-size vehicles, up 47 percent. 105,381 were compact cars, up only 16.7 percent.

Meanwhile, the separately counted minivehicle sales grew a sedate 12.4 percent on the year to 127,634. That according to the Japan Mini Vehicles Association.