NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

As the last weekend in June just passed, dealers are busy assessing the  month's performance. Which brands were hot on the lots this past month?

Dataium’s Automotive Shopper Index for June indicates  that Japanese brands proved to be particularly popular with consumers, with the Honda Accord coming in as No. 1 in the ASI new-vehicle rankings.

In fact, every one of the top 10 ranked vehicles are from Japanese manufacturers.

Jason Ezell, president of Dataium, said Japanese brands have taken advantage of pent-up shopper demand, perhaps a factor behind strong performances this past month.

“Strong incentives, effective marketing and new model announcements have helped Japanese brands stand out in auto shoppers’ consideration sets.” Ezell explained. “The entire industry saw ASI increases in April, but domestic brands lost  percent to 10 percent of those gains in May, while Japanese brands’ ASI increased for the second consecutive month.

In order to remain competitive this summer, domestic brands will have to effectively connect with their customers if they want to stay on top of shoppers’ minds," he added.

In light of these factors, Japanese brands’ ASI increased for the second consecutive month across both luxury and non-luxury segments, the company reported.

And although domestic brands offered similar incentives, “they did not experience comparable increases in ASI,” officials noted.

Overall, Dataium predicted the U.S. new-vehicle retail SAAR in June to come in at 13.1 million units, a 0.79-percent decrease from May.

“The slight ASI decline suggests that June automotive sales should be similar to May, even without the benefit of the Memorial Day weekend sales boost. Compared to May 2012, this month’s ASI reflects a stronger economy which will likely drive higher sales volume this summer,” officials explained.