Further evidence of a recovery in the worldwide automotive market has been presented with the news that several major Japanese producers, with global interests, have recorded a rise in total output.

The country's largest carmaker, Toyota Motor Corp, said yesterday that it had recorded a global productivity increase of 7.1 per cent in July.

In addition, Nissan Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. claimed increases of 20.1 per cent and 13.3 per cent respectively.

Honda Motor Co. Ltd recorded a global rise of 0.9 per cent, but if a downturn in production for the Japanese market is taken into consideration, output of cars intended for export rose by 19.9 per cent.

The figures are encouraging for producers worldwide, as they all compete for the same market. A global slump has debilitated carmakers across the globe recently, with a consequent cost-saving dip in production.

A rise in demand will reverse that trend, making the big producers' plants economical again, as they return to usual levels of output.