Toyota, Nissan Motor, Suzuki and Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries built more vehicles worldwide in August than in the same month of 2008, indicating their recovery from the global financial crisis that erupted the following month.

Of Japan’s top eight carmakers, six firms excluding only Toyota and Mitsubishi Motors booked record high overseas production for August, according to Kyodo News.

Nissan turned out 310,872 vehicles worldwide, up 31.0% from a year earlier, and Suzuki made 230,342 units, up 33.9%. Both figures were all-time highs for the reporting month.

Toyota’s global output jumped 11.4% to 566,778 units and Fuji Heavy’s figure leapt 23.0% to 49,212 units.

Nissan and Suzuki also produced more vehicles in Japan compared with two years earlier, just before the collapse in September 2008 of major US investment bank Lehman Brothers put the world economy into a tailspin, they said.

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The remaining six also reported year on year climbs in domestic production.

Domestic sales surged in the reporting month as the end in September of the Japanese government programme subsidising eco-friendly car purchases approached. Honda Motor sold 65,009 vehicles, up 59.6%, and Mazda Motor 26,423 units, up 51.1%.

All of the firms surveyed except for 51% owned Toyota affiliate Daihatsu Motor reported export growth due in part to a rise in shipments to Europe.

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