Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. reported double-digit sales gains in China last month, while Nissan Motor Co. eked out a 3.4 percent gain.

 

Honda said its China deliveries jumped nearly 24 percent year on year in May to 99,456 vehicles, picking up the sales pace it set in the first four months.

 

For the year to date, Honda sales have risen 15 percent to 445,835 vehicles.

 

Toyota Motor Corp. also had a good month, with May sales up 12 percent to 102,900 vehicles. For the first five months, Toyota deliveries increased 20 percent to 495,000.

 

But Nissan failed to keep pace with its Japanese peers. Its single-digit increase last month yielded sales of 106,100 vehicles. In the first five months, Nissan deliveries rose 1.3 percent to 500,900.

 

If current growth rates continue, Toyota seems likely to eclipse Nissan as the top-selling Japanese automaker in China. Nissan is shaking up its management.

 

Last month, the automaker named Airton Cousseau vice president of Dongfeng Motor Co., Nissan's 50-50 joint venture with Dongfeng Motor Corp. The appointment takes effect July 1.

 

The company also hopes to get a boost from its joint venture's no-frills Venucia brand.

 

Demand in China has been strong for no-frills vehicles -- such as General Motors' fast-growing Baojun brand -- so Nissan plans to expand Venucia's product lineup.

 

Nissan executives have acknowledged that the entry-level market's fast growth caught them by surprise. Nissan expects its China deliveries will rise 5 percent this year, trailing the industry's expected 6 percent sales growth.