In Brief : Domestic Sales Aid Toyota, Nissan

TOKYO — Japan’s top two auto makers said today that their domestic sales for 1988 grew substantially but that exports remained sluggish, mainly because of the strong yen.

Toyota Motor Corp., leader of the Japanese auto industry, said its 1988 production of passenger cars and commercial vehicles rose 9.1% over the preceding year to 3,968,707 units, fueled by brisk domestic demand.

Output of passenger cars climbed 10.1% to 2,982,922 units last year, while production of trucks and buses increased 6% to 985,785 units, the Nagoya-based company said.

Domestic sales climbed 13.0% to 2,120,273 units in 1988, the company said. Sales of passenger cars advanced 12.3% to 1,633,227 units, while sales of trucks and buses jumped 15.4% to 487,046 units.

Nissan Motor Co., Toyota’s top rival, said its output declined 2.8% to 2,164,218 units in 1988. Production of passenger cars fell 4% to 1,730,948 units, but output of commercial vehicles gained 2.6% to 433,270 units.

The Tokyo-based company said its exports declined 11.2% to 1,042,935 units last year. Passenger cars accounted for 848,137 units, down 12%, and commercial vehicles totaled 194,798 units, down 7.6%.

Domestic sales jumped 13.5% to 1,160,669 units, Nissan said. Sales of passenger cars rose 12.6% to 860,999 units, while sales of commercial vehicles were up 16.2% to 299,670 units, the company said.