The nation's top five automakers Tuesday reported drops in domestic production for the January-June period, with double-digit declines hitting Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp.
Toyota reported its first double-digit production drop since 1974, with half-year production down 11.4 percent compared with the previous year. Production declines at Nissan and Mitsubishi were even worse, at 14.5 percent and 18.0 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, export shipments were robust, climbing 0.9 percent at Mazda Motor Corp. and 5.5 percent at Toyota, mainly on the strength of the yen's weakness against the U.S. dollar and the healthy U.S. economy.
As for domestic sales, all five automakers registered double-digit declines for the period. Sales by Mitsubishi dropped worst, 19.0 percent, while Toyota and Nissan followed with 16.2 percent and 14.2 percent declines, respectively.