8 Japan Automakers’ Global Production Falls 1.5 Pct in Oct.

Tokyo, Nov. 27 (Jiji Press)–The combined global vehicle output of eight major Japanese automakers fell 1.5 pct from a year earlier to 2.22 million units in October, data from the companies showed Thursday. Global production fell 10.9 pct at Honda Motor Co., down for the first time in two months, due to a disruption in parts supplies from China-linked semiconductor maker Nexperia. The supply disruption forced Honda to halt production at a plant in Mexico in late October and reduce output in the United States and Canada. The Mexican plant resumed operations on Nov. 19, and production went back to normal in the United States and Canada from Monday. Subaru Corp. suffered a production slump of 26.4 pct, reflecting the suspension of some production lines due to construction work at a major domestic plant and parts delivery delays caused by facility issues at an overseas supplier. Mazda Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. also logged decreases in global output. On the other hand, production at Toyota Motor Corp. rose 3.8 pct to reach a record single-month high of 920,000 units. Toyota benefited from robust demand for hybrid vehicles in the North American market. In the same month, the eight makers’ combined global automobile sales fell 0.4 pct to 2.11 million units, with Mazda and Mitsubishi Motors reporting large decreases. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]