The Japan Automobile Dealers Association said on Monday that new vehicle sales in the country rocketed 78.2 percent year-on-year in March, thanks to government subsidies for environment-friendly cars.

The industry body said the sales of new autos, which excluded minivehicles, stood at 497,959 units in March, up from 279,389 units in the same month last year.

Sales of new vehicles, including minivehicles, saw a 3.3 percent growth from a year earlier to 4,753,273 units in fiscal 2011 ending March 31.

The association attributed the increase to an early recovery in auto production after a massive earthquake and tsunami devastated the coastal areas of the country's northeastern part on March 11 last year. The twin disasters had led to disruption in supply chain of auto parts and affected the output of new vehicles.

By companies, Toyota clinched the top place in sales of new vehicles, including minivehicles, with 1,367,559 units. Nissan and Honda came in second and fourth, respectively.