Japan's top three automakers saw double-digit falls in their auto production in China on the year in November, hit by flagging sales there amid strained relations between the two countries, their data showed Friday.
Toyota Motor Corp.'s production in the country dropped 38.7 percent from a year earlier to 50,528 units, but the decline narrowed compared with last month's 61.1 percent fall.
Nissan Motor Co.'s China output dropped 43.3 percent to 68,090 units, while that of Honda Motor Co. plunged 59.9 percent to 26,592 vehicles.
But overall overseas production of Toyota and Honda came to a record high for the month of November, boosted by output increases in North America as well as emerging Asian countries.
Toyota's overseas production rose 21.8 percent to 435,413 units, and that of Honda surged 47.6 percent to 247,393 units. Nissan's production abroad was down 6.8 percent to 301,165 units.
In Japan, Toyota's vehicle production was down 6.9 percent at 257,783 units, affected by slowing domestic sales following the end of the government's subsidy program for the purchase of environmentally-friendly cars.
Nissan rolled out 93,607 units in Japan, down 22.1 percent, and Honda 71,978 units, up 32.3 percent.
Nissan and Honda saw 35.9 percent and 27.5 percent drops in exports, respectively, due to dwindling auto sales in Europe in the midst of the region's debt crisis. But Toyota's exports edged up 2.8 percent to 153,037 units, boosted by solid demand in North America and Oceania.
