Total domestic output by eight major Japanese automakers fell 49.7% in September from a year earlier to 398,075 units amid an ongoing global chip shortage and delays in procuring parts from Southeast Asia due to the COVID-19 resurgence this summer, data showed Thursday.
The drop was the sharpest since May last year, when domestic production fell 61.8% from a year earlier due to the initial outbreak of the novel coronavirus, and marks the second consecutive month domestic output has fallen below the previous year.
Output and sales by automakers bottomed out in May 2020 and had begun to recover after being hit hard by government lockdowns around the globe. However, recent production cuts have been prolonged due to a parts shortage since the beginning of 2021.