Jeep Cherokee on list of top cars in Japan

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio-built Jeep Cherokee has been named one of the top 10 cars in Japan.

It's the first time an American-made vehicle has appeared on the list.

The (Toledo) Blade reports that the Toledo-built Cherokee showed up at No. 8 on the list compiled by Japanese automotive journalists. This year's winner was the Mazda 2, a subcompact five-door.

It's a milestone for Jeep because Japan is the world's third-largest automotive market and buyers there tend to be fiercely loyal to Japanese domestic brands. Just 6% of 3.7 million new vehicles sold in the country over the year's first nine months were from companies outside of Japan.

Through September, Jeep had sold about 747,000 vehicles worldwide — a 41% increase over the same point last year.