Domestic production of cars, trucks and buses fell 2.1 percent in May from a year earlier to 786,343 units, down for the third straight month, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
Output of cars slipped 4.1 percent to 647,697 units, down for the fourth consecutive month, due to decreased exports to the United States, a JAMA official said.
But truck production rose 9.7 percent to 134,477 units, up for the fifth consecutive month, thanks to thriving sales in Japan, he said.
Production of buses plummeted 22 percent to 4,169 units, down for the second consecutive month.
The monthly figure brought overall vehicle output in Japan to 4.26 million units for the January-May period, up 1.1 percent from a year earlier.
Vehicle exports slide
Exports of cars, trucks and buses fell 5.8 percent in May from the previous year to 339,492 units, down for the first time in two months, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said Wednesday.
Exports were affected by bleak sales in the United States, where car sales slipped 4.2 percent from a year earlier to 726,840 units.
Overall vehicle exports to the U.S. fell 17.2 percent to 113,513 vehicles, the first decrease in two months.
Europe-bound exports meanwhile grew 7.8 percent to 81,861 units, up for the ninth consecutive month, while those bound for other parts of Asia remained flat, with 38,098 vehicles exported.
By category, shipments of cars fell 6.5 percent to 290,843 units, the first decrease in two months, while exports of trucks slid 0.8 percent to 45,194 units.