Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. led a fourth-straight monthly gain in domestic vehicle production because of higher overseas demand, an auto industry group said Thursday.
The country's 12 manufacturers built 1.07 million cars, minicars, trucks and buses at home in November, up 3.8 percent from a year earlier, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said. Exports jumped for the 28th month in a row, by 8.1 percent to 600,422 vehicles.
Growing overseas demand offset a shrinking domestic market, where sales may fall to their lowest in 26 years in 2008. Toyota plans to raise domestic output 2 percent to 4.3 million vehicles next year, even as sales at home are forecast to be little changed.