Four of the nation's five major automakers increased domestic output slightly in November, thanks to an increase in exports and sales of new minivehicles, according to statistics separately released by the firms Wednesday.
Honda Motor Co. increased domestic production for the first time in eight months on the strength of its exports to North America and Europe, Honda officials said.
Monthly output for Honda reached 108,266 units, 3.8 percent higher compared with the same month in the previous year.
Toyota Motor Corp., meanwhile, decreased domestic production 7.3 percent to 267,020 units, due to dwindling sales and increased overseas productions, a Toyota spokesman said.
Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Mazda Motor Corp. meanwhile benefited from a rise in new minivehicle sales. The new, beefed up models hit the market in October, based on new size regulations implemented the same month.
Passenger car production for Mitsubishi Motors increased 14.9 percent in November from the same month last year, while those of Mazda rose 9.9 percent.
Nissan Motor Co., the nation's second-largest automaker, saw a 3.2 percent increase in domestic production, the first year-on-year rise in two months.