Stagnant sales at home led to a decline in domestic production while strong North American sales led to an increase in overseas output for most major Japanese automakers in 1999, it was announced Wednesday. Nissan Motor Co., however, experienced a decline in both domestic and overseas production. Overseas production by Honda Motor Co. exceeded its domestic production in 1999 for the first time in its history, after the automaker expanded overseas production to meet demand. Honda's overseas production increased 9.8 percent to 1,229,000 units in 1999, while domestic production was 1,220,955 units, down 1.8 percent from the previous year. Its domestic output saw a decline for the second consecutive year. Overseas production by Toyota Motor Corp. grew 9.8 percent to a record 1,611,450 units in 1999, marking an increase for the eighth consecutive year. Toyota's domestic production declined 1.5 percent to 3,118,226 units. Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s overseas output increased 20.9 percent to 705,146 units, while domestic production declined 6.2 percent to 1,013,895 units. Mazda Motor Corp. increased its overseas production 19.5 percent to 149,975 units, while domestic production declined 6.8 percent to 781,491 units. Nissan Motor's domestic production dropped 10.7 percent to 1,385,142 units, while its overseas production decreased 1.5 percent to 989,449 units. Domestic sales continued to slump in 1999 for most major Japanese automakers, while their export results were mixed. Toyota captured 41.7 percent of the domestic market with favorable sales of cars, including the Corolla and the Vitz. In contrast, Nissan Motor's domestic market share dropped to 19.4 percent, dropping to below 20 percent for the first time, according to a spokesman for Nissan Motor. Domestic sales of Toyota declined 2.7 percent to 1,664,400 units, and its exports grew 5.8 percent to 1,548,041 units. Domestic sales of Nissan Motor dropped 14.4 percent to 773,602 units and exports fell 7.3 percent to 654,292 units. Neither Toyota nor Nissan sell minicars. Honda's domestic sales grew 2.3 percent to 705,841 units and its exports totaled 531,866 units, maintaining almost the same level as the previous year. Mitsubishi Motor's domestic sales fell 2.5 percent to 585,701 units and its exports dropped 17.6 percent to 430,938 units. Mazda's domestic sales declined slightly to 315,252, down 1.1 percent, while exports fell 8.6 percent to 507,760 units.The two automakers announced a comprehensive tieup plan in December.
