By Samuel Ee

SINGAPORE'S top car in 2008 has been dethroned after the first two months of 2009, as an old favourite returned to rule the roost.

The Toyota Corolla Altis is again the island's No 1 model, based on January and February sales by members of the Motor Traders Association of Singapore (MTA).

At No 2 is another Toyota, the Vios. Last year's winner, the Honda Civic, has since dropped to No 7.

Corolla Altis is top car in Singapore.

Observers say the Civic has been hit by the rising Japanese yen, which has made the pricing of the top two Toyota models more attractive by comparison.

The Corolla Altis and Vios, as well as the No 6 Toyota Camry, are assembled in Thailand and are all traded in Singapore dollars.

Perhaps the biggest sales surprise in the first two months of 2009 is the Hyundai Avante, which has come from literally nowhere to rank No 3 in the sales chart.

The next nearest Korean model is the Kia Picanto at No 9.

The ageing Toyota Wish MPV is the No 4 seller, with 519 units - a tally that would have been higher if 80 units sold as taxis by authorised distributor Borneo Motors Singapore were included.

Another model that would have figured in the honours list, if it were not a taxi, is the Hyundai Sonata, with 241 units of this diesel model registered in the first two months of 2009.

Also quietly cruising up the charts is the Nissan Latio, the fifth most popular model in Singapore so far this year.

This article was first published in The Business Times.