Friday, July 21, 2000
Honda June Domestic Output Rises 9.5%

TOKYO (Dow Jones)--Honda Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. announced Friday domestic output and export figures for June, with Honda racing ahead in production while Mazda reported declines in both production and exports.

Honda, ranked in the top three of Japan's car makers, said domestic production rose 9.5% in June to 117,944 vehicles, from the same month a year ago, racking up a fourth straight month of output growth.

A Honda spokeswoman ascribed the production gains to strong domestic sales, which rose for a seventh straight month by 12.3% to 76,374 vehicles.

"Our Life minicar and Odyssey minivan are doing extremely well, which has required us to raise production from last year," said the spokeswoman.

Sales have begun picking up, as a recovering economy gives consumers the confidence and extra cash to spend on big ticket items.