Japanese automakers' China output rises sharply in April
The "Big Three" Japanese automakers – Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. – each reported sharp production increases in China in April, as all three companies boosted worldwide output.
Honda says it produced 58,814 vehicles in China in April – up 29 percent from the year-earlier period, and a record for the month of April. For the first four months of the year, Honda's China production totaled 228,488 units, up 39 percent.
The transmission workers' strike that recently shut down four assembly plants will affect Honda's May production totals.
Worldwide, Honda produced 294,308 vehicles in April, up 27 percent over the year-ago period. For the first four months of the year, Honda produced 1.2 million vehicles worldwide, up 41 percent. That was Honda's fifth consecutive monthly global production increase.
Nissan assembled 91,798 vehicles in China in April, up 42 percent year-on-year. Nissan's sales in China soared 36 percent year-on-year to 90,464 units. Nissan set sales and production records for the month.
Worldwide, Nissan built 319,673 units, up 57 percent year-on-year, and a record for the month of April.
Toyota says it produced nearly 2.7 million vehicles worldwide last month, up 79 percent. According to Bloomberg, Toyota's production in China jumped 42 percent year-on-year in April, although it did not provide unit production data.
