The combined domestic production of eight major Japanese automakers in August rose 6.0 percent from a year earlier to 658,876 vehicles, as six companies increasing their output to meet robust sales in new models, data showed Thursday.
Daihatsu Motor Co. saw solid sales in new models of mini cars, boosting its domestic production to 63,460 units, the highest for the month and up 22.1 percent from a year before.
Nissan Motor Co., the country's second-largest carmaker by volume, also said its domestic output jumped 26.6 percent to 79,300 vehicles after starting the production of sport utility vehicles for North America.
Good consumer response to the Delica D:5 minivan improved Mitsubishi Motors Corp.'s domestic output, which surged 27.5 percent to 40,114 vehicles.
However, Toyota Motor Corp. saw a decline in production at home, dropping 3.7 percent year on year to 231,414 vehicles.
The decline came after the Japanese auto giant ramped up production a year earlier following a slowdown in the wake of powerful earthquakes in southwestern Japan in April that year.
The eight carmakers' total overseas production increased 3.8 percent to 1,628,484 units. Honda Motor Co. expanded output in China and Europe.
Toyota's total overseas output fell 1.9 percent to 480,308 due to a temporary drop in production in the United States for a model change of the Camry sedan.
The eight carmakers' combined exports rose 10.6 percent to 340,110 vehicles. Suzuki Motor Corp. tripled its exports to 19,546 units, lifted partly by strong demand for the Swift compact car in Europe.
Subaru Corp. also saw a sharp rise in exports on growing demand for its SUVs in the United States, while exports by Mazda Motor Corp. decreased on sluggish sales of its mainstay Axela sedan.