Chinese Output of Japan’s Carmakers Plunges

Japanese automakers report that their production in China dropped even more sharply in October than in September as companies aligned output with plummeting demand.

Strong anti-Japan sentiment stoked by a territorial dispute has soured Chinese consumers on Japanese brands. Nissan says its sales there are gradually recovering but still lag 2011 volume by about one-third.

Last month Chinese production plunged 61% year over year to 30,600 vehicles at Toyota, 44% to 61,400 units at Nissan and 54% to 26,300 units at Honda. (Their September output fell 40%, 20% and 21%, respectively.)

The news also was grim for Japanese carmakers without factories in China. Fuji Heavy Industry says its exports of Subaru vehicles to the country plunged 76% to 1,700 units.