Japan’s auto production falls by 3.7%
The Japan Automobile Manufacturer's Association said that auto production in Japan reached 897'425 units in October with a decrease of 3.7% compared to the same period of last year. In addition, domestic vehicle demand for the mentioned period fell by 7.5% to 425'996 units. The decline in production may be attributed to the projected tight steel supply in Japan. As yesterday reported by SteelOrbis, Japanese automaker Nissan will suspend the production in some lines in the coming days. In addition to that Toyota is planning to procure more steel from South Korea and China to be prepared for the steel shortage.October Vehicles % Change-Oct 04/03 Total 897'425 -3.7% Passenger cars 742'912 -3.0% standard size 349'589 -5.4% small size 276'628 -1.8% mini cars 116'695 +1.6% Trucks 149'460 -6.7% standard size 67'804 -2.9% small size 35'810 -14.1% mini trucks 45'846 -5.9% Buses 5'053 -12.1% large size 866 -14.7% small size 4'187 -11.5%