TOKYO, 29 May (BelTA - Xinhua) - Toyota's global output tumbled 50.8 percent year-on-year in April to 379,093 vehicles, as the coronavirus pandemic saw demand slump and global plants shuttered, the automaker said Thursday.
Production in both North America and Latin America stood at zero in the recording period, Toyota Motor Corp. said, owing to plants in both regions being taken offline due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Japan's largest automaker by volume said that just 577 vehicles were produced in Europe, at a single factory in France, marking a 99.2 percent drop, as the virus' global spread shuttered operations worldwide.
As for production at domestic facilities in Japan, Toyota said its output dropped 25.9 percent to 218,054 vehicles, owing to temporary closures of its plants here, amid falling demand and virus-triggered supply chain disruptions.
Bucking the downward trend, however, the maker of the popular Prius hybrid and Corolla models, said output in China rose significantly in the reporting period, jumping 27.8 percent to 143,135 vehicles, as production in late March resumed.
The Aichi Prefecture-based automaker said in terms of its global sales in April, virus-linked restrictions including stay-at-home orders contributed to a 46.3 percent decline to 423,302 vehicles.
Sales in its North American market charted a downward trajectory, dropping 56.4 percent as the pandemic weighed on demand, while in Europe sales tanked 83.4 percent for similar reasons in the recording period, the automaker said.
Domestic sales, also hit by slumping demand amid the government's stay-at-home requests, dropped 20.1 percent to 97,563 vehicles, in the recording period, Toyota added.
