New automobile sales in October jumped 12.5 percent from a year earlier to 418,992 units, marking double-digit growth for the first time in 16 months, industry data showed Thursday.

The increase, which followed a 2 percent drop in September, chiefly came as Nissan Motor Co. saw its sales nearly double from October last year, when the company suspended shipments in the wake of a vehicle inspection scandal.

New models also sold well last month, according to the data.

Sales of new vehicles bigger than 660 cc, the current maximum engine size for minivehicles, rose 13 percent to 261,554 units, up for the first time in three months.

The increase also reflected brisk performance at Toyota Motor Corp., which enjoyed strong demand for its Crown luxury sedan.

Sales of minivehicles grew 11.7 percent to 157,438 units, an October high, thanks mainly to robust sales of Honda Motor Co.’s N-Van commercial model and Suzuki Motor Corp.’s new Jimny sport-utility vehicle.

New vehicle sales went up at all major makers other than Subaru Corp., which suffered a 2.5 percent decline due to a quality data scandal. Nissan enjoyed a rise of 93.8 percent and Honda 8.9 percent.

The figures were based on data from the Japan Automobile Dealers Association and the Japan Light Motor Vehicle and Motorcycle Association.