Output of top eight Japanese carmakers rises by 14.7% in January

Top eight Japanese carmakers produced 817,017 vehicles in the domestic market in January, an increase of 14.7 percent from a year earlier, data released on Wednesday showed. The increase was mainly due to robust demand ahead of a consumption tax rise in April and newly introduced models. Toyota Motor Corp. produced 293,737 vehicles in Japan, an increase of 5.4 percent from a year earlier, while Nissan Motor Co. produced 80,360 vehicles, up 13.7 percent from January 2013, representing its first year-on-year rise in 20 months. Honda Motor Co. produced 97,145 vehicles, up 65.3 percent on robust demand for its Fit, N-WGN and Vezel models. Daihatsu Motor Co.'s output rose 24.4 percent to 74,636 vehicles. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. produced 55,600 vehicles, a yearly rise of 12.1 percent. Both companies' output volumes hit record highs for January. Meanwhile, the combined overseas output of the eight automakers declined slightly, down 0.2 percent from a year earlier to 1,386, 016 vehicles.