Japan’s leading automakers made more vehicles than ever last year as customers bought more of their cars and trucks, the companies reportedly said on Tuesday.

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According to the Associated Press, Toyota Motor Corp. said its global production jumped 10.6% during 2004 to 6.723 million vehicles – a record high – while almost half, or a little over three million, units were made at plants outside Japan.


In the United States, Toyota’s biggest market, sales surged 10.4% to 2.06 million, the report said.


Nissan Motor reportedly said it produced 8.0% more vehicles for a total of 3.194 million during the year – production outside Japan soared 18.1% to a record 1.775 million.


The Associated Press noted that strong sales of the Atlima sedan and the Murano SUV helped Nissan’s US sales soar 24.1% to an all-time-high of 985,989 vehicles while sales in Japan fell 4.9% amid a lack of new models during the first half as sales in Europe inched higher.

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Honda Motor global production climbed 8.7% to a record high of 3.181 million vehicles in 2004 and both domestic sales and exports rose from the year earlier, AP said.


Mazda Motor Corp., about a third owned by Ford Motor Co., reportedly said its overseas production jumped 31% to 315,691 vehicles while domestic output rose 2.2% to 818,730 vehicles.


AP said Mitsubishi Motors Corp. bucked the trend as it struggled to rebuild after a recall scandal. Its global output dropped 10.8% in part because demand in Japan tumbled after the automaker said in June that it had continued to systematically cover up defects in its vehicles to avoid recalling them. Home market Mitsubishi sales plunged 41.5% in 2004.


Mitsubishi Motors global production declines 10.6%