Toyota Motor Corp. said Monday its worldwide production
dropped 1.3 percent to 672,604 vehicles, marking the first year-on-year
decrease in 12 months. The world’s No. 1 automaker said the fall was due to
weak production in Europe and North America.
Toyota’s production in Europe sank 29.7 percent to 40,630
vehicles due to sluggish sales in Britain and Turkey. The company’s output in
North America slipped 4.1 percent year-on-year to 122,649 vehicles in
September.
The fall in North American production was due to declining
output in the United States after Toyota closed its auto plant — a joint
venture between Toyota and General Motors Co.- in California in April.
But Toyota’s rivals enjoyed rising growth in output because
of strong demand in China. Honda Motor Co. said its global production in
September rose 9.2 percent to 328,368 vehicles, up for the 10th consecutive
month.
Honda — Japan’s No. 2 automaker — said production in Japan
jumped 21.9 percent thanks to soaring demand for the company’s energy-efficient
Fit subcompact.
Honda launched the hybrid version of the popular Fit in
early October. The Fit hybrid went on sale in Japan with a price tag of 1.59
million yen ($19,700) — the cheapest of Honda’s gasoline-electric cars.
Nissan Motor Co. said its worldwide production grew 27.2 percent
to 395,658 vehicles in September, marking the 20th consecutive month of
year-on-year increase. Nissan said its production in China rose 24.3 percent
and gained 31 percent in the United States.
Mazda Motor Corp. said its global production climbed 9.4
percent to 117,413 vehicles. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. said its worldwide output
jumped 30.9 percent to 114,191 vehicles.