Despite the sluggish global economy, the nation's top three automakers ran up record-high profits while No. 4 and No. 5 returned to profitability with better-than-expected performances in 2001, according to business results announced as of Monday.
All five attributed the favorable results to strenuous cost-cutting efforts and the weakened yen.
Nissan Motor Co., the third-largest automaker, posted a 46.9 percent gain in consolidated pretax profits to 414.7 billion yen for the business year to March 31.