Toyota Motor Corp. said global output rose 1.4 percent in February as the Japanese automaker recovers from a shortage of semiconductors for automobiles and lingering disruption from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The world’s largest automaker produced 896,712 vehicles last month. Global sales, including Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd., rose 10.5 percent to 856,376 units, the company said in a statement Thursday.
The numbers underscore Toyota’s global lead in selling combustion-engine vehicles just days before Lexus chief Koji Sato prepares to take over as CEO and navigate the Japanese carmaker toward a future of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources. The big question is whether he can leverage Toyota’s current lead amid a once-in-a-generation shift in the global auto industry.
Domestic sales and production rose year-on-year for the second month in a row, with Japan sales climbing 38 percent to 213,698 units, Toyota said.
