TOKYO — Toyota said its global production plunged 49.6% in February from a year earlier.
Honda and Nissan also report similarly grim figures Tuesday, highlighting the woes facing Japanese automakers.
Separately, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said auto sales in Japan for the fiscal year through March 2010 are expected to drop 8% from the previous year.
It predicts a 32-year low of 4.297 million vehicles.
The last time domestic sales were lower was in fiscal 1977, when 4.23 million vehicles were sold, it said.
Toyota’s production figures — which include Daihatsu Motor, which makes small cars, and truckmaker Hino Motors — showed global production for February fell 49.6% to 434,179 vehicles. Toyota’s production in Japan for the month declined 56.4% on-year to 207,743 vehicles.
Honda’s lobal production in February declined 42.7% from the same month a year ago to 190,680 vehicles. Its Japanese output fell 48.4% to 54,748 vehicles.
Monthly worldwide production for Nissan in February declined 51.3% to 156,864 vehicles, while its production in Japan plunged 68.8%. Nissan is allied with Renault of France.
Source: http://www.thestreet.com/story/10476458/1/output-plunges-at-japanese-automakers.html