Honda Sets the Tempo for Japanese Automakers

Honda has reported recently a double-digit increase in global automotive production for May. Its other Japanese automaker rivals namely Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi Motors have also posted output gains. Unfortunately, Mazda’s worldwide output plunge by 2.1 percent.

Japan’s second largest automaker, Honda said that its global production soared by 10.9 percent to 329,507 vehicles in May which is the 22nd straight monthly gain of the company.

On the other hand Honda’s output in Japan has also increased by 11.8 percent to 105,188 vehicles while its overseas production rose by 10.4 percent to 224,319 units with higher productions recorded in North America, Europe, and the rest of Asia.

Toyota Motors Corporation as expected is zeroing in on General Motors Corp.’s spot as the world’s largest automaker. Toyota’s global production climbed by 9.8 percent to 702,382 vehicles in May attributed to the strong demand for models like the Camry, Lexus, and hybrid cars such as the Prius.

The domestic production of Toyota reached a total of 322,841 units up by 7.9 percent while overseas output soared by 11.5 percent to 379,541 vehicles.

Another Japanese automaker, Nissan Motor Co. has announced that their worldwide production rose by 6.9 percent to 262,572 vehicles plus they also mentioned an increase in overseas output which they said offsets the decline they have in smaller domestic market. The domestic production of Nissan which is 44 percent owned by Renault SA of France has dropped 12.3 percent to 71,489 vehicles luckily its overseas output surged 16.4 percent to 191,083 units.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp. still another Japanese automaker has reported that their global production has totaled to 108,426 vehicles or up by 6.5 percent. Their domestic production has also increased by 14.1 percent to 57,532 units for an eight straight month of growth. In terms of its overseas production it dropped by 0.9 percent to 50,894 vehicles. Its production in Europe has also fell by 33.5 percent while its output in North America has increased by 1.5 percent.

Mazda Motor Corporation the maker of high quality Mazda car parts and an affiliate of Ford Motor Co. has stated that their global production also dropped by 2.1 percent to 92,416 vehicles while their domestic production increase by 8.0 percent to 73,175 units attributed to the favorable output of Mazda3 and Mazda5 models. Unluckily for Mazda, its overseas production plunged by 27.9 percent to 19,241 vehicles due to lower production of models such as the Mazda6.