Japanese Automakers Set New Production Mark in 2015

TOKYO – Japanese auto makers produced a record 26.4 million vehicles in 2015, including 17.6 million units outside Japan, according to company reports last week.

The overseas production share now stands at 66.5%, up from 50.6% in 2007, the year before the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy triggered a global recession and restructuring of the Japanese auto industry, including a shift of compact-car production to Southeast Asia, Mexico and other emerging markets.

The total does not include truck makers Isuzu, Mitsubishi Fuso and UD Trucks (formerly Nissan Diesel), which produced an estimated 600,000 units but have yet to disclose their official results. Toyota, Japan’s largest manufacturer, produced 8.9 million units, down 0.8%. It controlled one-third of Japan production, virtually unchanged from 2014.

Including subsidiaries Daihatsu and truck-maker Hino, Toyota’s total fell 2.0% to 10.1 million. Nearly half of the shortfall was due to a decline in 0.66L minivehicle production by Daihatsu.

Meanwhile, the auto maker produced 5.7 million vehicles outside Japan, up 1.4%. The overseas production share now accounts for 64.3% of Toyota’s total. In 2007, Toyota’s overseas production share stood at 50.5%. Including Daihatsu and Hino, the figure has grown to 60.0% during the period, up from 46.1%.

In its 2015 sales report, the automaker reported sales outside Japan of 7.7 million units, or 83.7% of its total. Group sales outside Japan totaled 8.0 million, or 78.6%.

In Japan, Toyota sold 1.5 million units including 48,231 Lexus models. Group sales, including Daihatsu and Hino, fell 6.5% to 2.2 million. Toyota holds a 29.7% share in the domestic market, including the mini sector. The auto maker exported 1.8 million units, down 1.2% from 2014.

Nissan, ranked No.2, produced 5.2 million units, up 1.4%. Its overseas share remained virtually unchanged at 83.1%, as output grew 1.9% to 4.3 million. For Nissan, this was the sixth consecutive year of increased production.

By market, China was again the leading production base for the auto maker, registering output of 1.2 million units, up 2.6%. That was followed by the U.S. and Mexico at 962,225 and 822,905, respectively, up 1.6% and 2.1%; the U.K. at 476,589, down 4.7%; and Spain at 104,684, down 25.8%.

Japanese production fell 1.9% to 872,831 units including 755,742 passenger vehicles and 117,089 trucks and vans. Of the total, Nissan exported 518,631 units, including 210,995 to North America.

Globally, Nissan sold 5.4 million cars and trucks during the year, including 210,828 minis in Japan. Minis accounted for 35.8% of Japanese sales, which fell to 589,046 units. Minis are supplied to the auto maker by Mitsubishi.

Honda, Mazda Gain; Suzuki Sets Record

Third-ranked Honda produced 4.5 million cars and trucks, up 0.7%. Overseas output, accounting for an industry-leading 83.9%, grew 7.2% to 3.8 million units. Japanese production fell 23.8% to 730,493.

By market, production in North America grew 3.1% to 1.9 million units. Following were Asia at 1.7 million, up 12.0%, and Europe at 118,897, down 0.9%. U.S. production held steady at 1,269,724 units, followed by China, up 12.2% to 960,913.

In Japan, production fell by 23.8% to 730,493 units as demand for Honda cars, nearly half of which is for minis, declined 14.4%. Sales during the year totaled 726,895 units, including 345,655 minis, down 14.1%.

Honda exported only 67,466 vehicles, the smallest volume among Japan’s leading auto makers.

Suzuki produced 3.0 million units, a new high and up 0.6% over 2014 levels. Included were 2.1 million vehicles built in India and elsewhere outside of Japan, up 7.1%.

Meanwhile, Japanese production declined 11.5% due mainly to lingering sluggish demand for minis related to the increase in the consumption tax that went in effect in April 2014.

Suzuki, the perennial leader in the mini segment, sold 559,699 units in 2015. Not counted in the total were 44,628 Mazda-badged models and an unspecified number built for Nissan. The Suzuki total fell 21.1%. Total Japan-market sales, 88.0% of which were minis, fell 19.2%.

Suzuki’s exports from Japan also declined, by 15.2%, to 125,465 units.

Mazda produced 1.5 million vehicles, up 16.2%, including 972,237 in Japan and 571,352 overseas. The overseas total grew 45.0% and now stands at 37.2%, up from 23.2% in 2013, the year before the auto maker opened its Salamanca plant in Mexico. Domestic production grew 4.1%.

Passenger vehicles accounted for 96.7% of the global total. The remainder: pickup trucks built in Thailand.

Note that Mazda sold 245,487 vehicles during the year in the Japanese market, including 44,628 rebadged minis produced by Suzuki. Japanese sales grew 9.4% with the non-mini portion (Mazda cars) up 20.0% and minis down 21.7%.

The auto maker exported 773,636 units, 80.9% of Japanese production, up 1.6%. Of the total, 300,039 were shipped to North America, 200,324 to Europe, 94,568 to Oceania and 178,705 to other markets. North American and European exports fell 4.2% and 6.2%, respectively.

Mitsubishi produced 1.2 million units, down 3.4%, including 583,412 outside Japan, down 6.1%.

The auto maker produced 495,558 units in Asia, down 3.7%. The tally includes 329,908 units in Thailand, up 2.1%, and 61,518 units in China, down 18.6%.

Mitsubishi produced 635,441 vehicles in Japan, down 0.9%, with 65.8% of the total exported.

Meanwhile, the auto maker sold 102,010 units in the market, down 18.4%. Mini sales fell 23.5% to 61,471 minis, meaning it supplied more than 100,000 minis to Nissan.

Mitsubishi exported 418,129 units, up 12.8%.

Daihatsu, soon to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota, reported a 10.8% decline in production to 979,725 units. Of the total, Japanese production held a 71.1% share, at 697,340. Mirroring Daihatsu’s global total, Japanese production fell 10.8% due mainly to a 13.8% decline in minivehicle sales, which fell to 608,772 units from 706,288 in 2014.

Fuji Heavy Industries (maker of Subaru cars) produced 938,563 units, up 5.6%, including 709,749 in Japan and 228,000 overseas, up 2.0% and 18.5%, respectively.

Japan-market sales totaled 162,252 units, down 4.3%, and included 38,268 minis produced by Daihatsu, down 11.0%. Exports grew 4.7% to 566,876, units.