Sales Increase for Japan's Largest Auto Producers
May 05, 2011
TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. domestic production and sales rose in July from a year ago. The top two Japanese automakers released the figures in their respective monthly reports Friday. The two companies' reports are watched closely by analysts as an economic indicator because their production represents a large portion of Japan's industrial output. Toyota said that its domestic production rose 16% to 310,165 units in July. That came after a decline in June; the improved numbers reflect strong domestic sales of new models such as the Ipsum minivan and the Land Cruiser Prado sports utility vehicle. Toyota's domestic sales rose 5.9% to 207,016 units in July. The increase was faster than the overall domestic auto demand, which rose by 5.4% year on year last month. The output was bolstered by two more operation days of plants in July compared with a year earlier, a Toyota spokeswoman said. Nissan also reported a rise of 5.4% in domestic production to 166,190 units, which was the first increase in seven months. The rise was a result of a moderate recovery in Nissan's domestic sales, supported by strong sales of remodeled vehicles such as the Cima luxury sedan. Its leisure vehicle lineup also pushed up the domestic sales, the company said. Domestic sales rose 2.3% to 122,176 units. Meanwhile, Toyota saw its exports rise due in part to the dollar's rise against the yen in the past year. Nissan's exports remained little changed from the previous year as a rise in the shipments to Asia, Oceania and the Middle East offset drops in exports bound to North and Latin America and Europe. Nissan reported a rise in overseas production for the first time in eight months, reflecting the doubling of output at its Mexican unit. Separately, another major auto maker, Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said that its July domestic production edged up 0.1% from a year earlier to 108,439 units, although its sales continued to fall, down 12% to 70,420. Mitsubishi's exports dropped 14% to 36,760 units while overseas output rose 6.7% to 60,180.
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