Japan's vehicle output in March falls record 57.3%+

TOKYO, April 28 Kyodo -
Japan's vehicle output in March fell a record 57.3 percent from a year earlier to 404,039 units as major Japanese automakers suspended production following the March 11 earthquake and ensuing tsunami, an industry body said Thursday.
The figure represents the sixth straight year-to-year fall and the rate of decline was the largest since the statistics started in January 1966, according to the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association.
The eight major Japanese automakers all saw steep falls in their output in the month and the output hit the lowest level for the month of March after 385,320 units in 1969.
By type of vehicle, output of passenger cars plunged 57.7 percent to 348,474 units and that of trucks dived 54.1 percent to 50,852 units, both marking the largest-ever rates of decline. Bus output also declined 55.2 percent to 4,713 units.
Industry leader Toyota Motor Corp.'s domestic output nosedived 62.7 percent to 129,491 units, while that of Honda Motor Co. plunged 62.9 percent to 34,754 units. Output by Nissan Motor Co. slid 52.4 percent to 47,590 units.
The association also said Japan's vehicle exports in March declined 26.1 percent to 312,478 units, the first fall in 15 months.
As automakers are still suspending or reducing production in April due to unstable supply of parts, the association said it would take more time for automakers to resume full-scale operations.
In fiscal 2010, which ended in March, Japan's vehicle output increased 1.5 percent from the previous year to 8,993,975 units, the first gain in three years, it said.
Many Japanese automakers posted rises in domestic output for the year, including Nissan with a 4.6 percent rise to 1,072,590 units and Honda with a 1.2 percent gain to 912,307 units.
But Toyota's annual domestic output fell 6.3 percent to 3,003,845 units.
Japan's vehicle exports in the year increased 17.5 percent to 4,803,068 units, also for the first rise in three years.
==Kyodo
2011-04-28 22:55:26