Toyota on Monday reported its best global production ever in 2003, while Nissan replaced Honda as Japan's No. 2 automaker in terms of domestic sales.

Toyota Motor Corp. produced 6.08 million vehicles worldwide on a parent-only basis in 2003, up 7.8 percent from the previous year.

This figure also surpasses Toyota's previous record of 5.64 million units, set in 2002.

Toyota posted its 12th consecutive annual increase in overseas production, which jumped 18.7 percent from 2002 levels to a record 2.56 million vehicles.

It saw steady growth in exports, domestic production and domestic sales.

Toyota said earlier in the day that its worldwide sales, including those of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd., totaled 6.78 million vehicles last year.

The figure confirmed earlier media reports that Toyota passed Ford Motor Co. to become the world's second-largest automaker in terms of global auto sales, after GM.

Among four other major automakers that released sales and production numbers for 2003, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., vying for the No. 2 slot here, both posted record global production.

Honda manufactured 2.97 million vehicles, up 2.4 percent from 2002, logging record output in North America, Europe and Asian countries outside Japan.

The figure edged out the 2.96 million units reported by Nissan, which posted a 9.8 percent year-on-year increase.

But Honda's domestic sales slumped 18.6 percent to 734,982 units, contrasted with Nissan's 6.6 percent rise to 825,094 units. This made Nissan the No. 2 automaker in Japan in terms of domestic sales for the first time in four years.

Mazda posted gains in the categories of domestic production, domestic sales, exports and overseas production.

Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which spun off its truck and bus operations last January, is the only company among the five that reported a contraction in global production, posting a 5.7 percent fall.