Mazda global vehicle production plunged 41.3% year on year to 68,111 units in December.
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Domestic output fell 42.5% to 52,524 vehicles while overseas output was down 36.5% to 15,587 units.
Commercial vehicle production outside Japan was notably off – down almost 75% to 1,214 vehicles. Mazda’s main overseas CV plant is the Auto Alliance joint venture with Ford in Thailand.
Sales in Thailand – where light pickup trucks dominate the market have been falling since mid-2008, prompting rival automakers GM and Honda to postpone plant expansion plans.
Thai auto production is forecast to fall this year, a Federation of Thai Industries’ (FTI) automotive industry club spokesman said earlier this month.
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By GlobalDataSurapong Phaisitpattanapong said that 1.2m vehicles would be manufactured – a 15% drop from an expected 1.4m in 2008.
FTI believes recovery from the current slump will take two years and would will result in further production suspensions and layoffs this year, Surapong said.
Mazda’s full-year 2008 global production rose 4.6% to 1,349,274 vehicles. Commercial vehicle output dipped 10.7% to 108,056 units while passenger cars were up 6.2% to 1,241,218.
Production in Japan rose 8.4% to 1,078,690 as overseas output slipped 8.1% to 270,584.
