SINGAPORE, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Carro, Southeast Asia's

largest used-car online marketplace, has raised $60 million in a

funding round led by Japan sovereign wealth fund Cool Japan

Fund, the company said on Wednesday.

The investment will go towards promoting Japanese cars

across the Asia-Pacific region, Carro said in a statement,

adding it was confident that it could increase the market share

of Japanese plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in the region.

Besides Singapore, Carro has a presence in markets including

Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

CEO Aaron Tan last week said the company was eyeing an

expansion into Australia and a dual listing.

Sources familiar with the matter told Reuters in August that

Carro was considering a U.S. initial public offering at a

valuation of more than $3 billion, which would be the largest

Southeast Asian listing in the U.S. since SEA's $989.3

million debut in 2017, according to LSEG.

It would also be the first major automotive tech and

commerce startup from Singapore to go public in the United

States.

Backed by investors including Temasek and SoftBank

Group, Carro operates a digital platform that enables

consumers and dealers to buy and sell vehicles, while also

offering insurance, financing and after-sales services.

Cool Japan Fund is a government-backed private fund with the

aim of contributing to Japan's economy by increasing overseas

demand for its products and services.