Japan’s top five carmakers made domestic plant output cuts ranging from 36.3% to 60% year on year last month, according to industry data.
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Of the five – Toyota, Nissan Motor, Honda, Mazda and Mitsubishi – the latter made the largest cut of 60% to 24,793 units while Nissan trimmed production 36.3% to 63,859 units.
Toyota reported a 41.9% fall to 192,637 units, Honda was down 43% to 52,663 units and Mazda cut production 42.9% to 50,065 units.
The five’s global production also declined, with Mitsubishi reporting the largest cut of 54.6% to 44,902 units, the lowest since its spinoff of the Fuso truck and bus unit in 2003.
Nissan’s volume declined the least – 27.0% to 201,340 units.
Toyota worldwide output fell 38.8% to 442,621 units, Honda’s fell 38.4% to 195,085 units, and Mazda’s was down 37.0% to 66,531 units, according to Kyodo News.
Domestic sales also fell at all five automakers, although some nonetheless made progress cutting back inventories.
Toyota officials told just-auto earlier this month that they thought production had “bottomed out” in May after the automaker made better than expected progress selling down inventory world-wide.
Effects from tax breaks implemented by the Japanese government in April for purchases of eco-friendly cars were limited, Kyodo said.
Exports also plunged in May, with the margins of decline ranging from 46.9% at Mazda (37,068 units) to 77.0% at Mitsubishi (11,795).
Toyota exports fell 51.3% to 100,117 units, Nissan’s were off 55.9% to 24,629 units and Honda’s down 65.2% to 18,156 units.
