Toyota Motor Corp reports production will return to normal levels by the end of the year, as figures reveal the Japan disaster has had a severe impact on output.

Production will be raised from July in Japan and from August for plants in other countries, according to Bloomberg.

The news provider reports that the firm's plans are based around the restarting of production at a plant owned by Renesas Electronics Corp, which is responsible for 30 per cent of the world market for microcontrollers used in cars.

Executive vice-president Atsushi Niimi explained, however, that the company is unlikely to hit its full-year target of 7.7 million units, with 150 parts still in short supply.

He said the company is likely to see worldwide production fall by as much as 400,000 units by the end the April.

"Unlike previous natural disasters, this one has affected a very large region, affecting the entire Japanese economy across industries," Toyota president Akio Toyoda told the news service.

Meanwhile, figures obtained by Reuters reveal the extent the earthquake and tsunami had on vehicle production in March.

The news service suggests that Toyota could slip from its position as the world's largest car maker, with output in Japan falling by 62.7 per cent in March.

Local production figures were down for all the country's automakers, with Nissan (52.4 per cent), Honda (62.9 per cent), Suzuki (60.2 per cent) and Mazda (53.6 per cent) among the worst affected.

The only company to see overall global output increase in March was Nissan, which was driven by a 33.3 per cent boost in overseas production.

Global output for Toyota during the month fell by a total of 29.9 per cent to 542,465 units.

According to Bloomberg, Toyota plants in North America will be shut on Mondays and Fridays and operate at half capacity on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays until June 3rd.

Meanwhile, all factories in China will be at around 50 per cent capacity until that date, though it could fall below that level.

Sources:



Toyota Says Global Output Will Return to Normal by November or December (22/04/11)



RPT-TABLE-Japan auto output slumps after quake (25/04/11)

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