Toyota Motor said on Wednesday that global vehicle production rose by 7 per cent in January, marking a year-on-year increase for the 13th straight month as the automaker benefited from strong U.S. demand. Output for January increased to 740,332 vehicles, while worldwide sales rose about 11 per cent from a year earlier as growth in overseas markets such as the United States made up for declining sales in Japan. Both figures include the luxury Lexus brand.

U.S. sales for the month surged 23 per cent while those in Europe gained 2 per cent, offsetting a sharp 14 per cent drop in domestic sales. While sales in China jumped 39 per cent, the rise was partly due to dealers selling cars on more days than last year due to Chinese New Year-related calendar changes. Toyota said competition in China continued to intensify. Almost two-fifths of the vehicles the world's largest automaker by volume sold in January were gasoline-electric hybrids.