Japan yielded the title of the world's top automobile manufacturer to China in 2009, with domestic production plummeting 31.5% to 7.93 million units, according to data released Friday by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, the Nikkei reported in its Saturday morning edition.
Japan had been the No. 1 auto-producing nation for three years since 2006, when it eclipsed the U.S.
China saw auto output surge 48.3% to about 13.79 million vehicles last year, compared with 5.7 million for the U.S., which came in third place, according to the Nikkei.
Japan's domestic production dipped below 8 million units for the first time in 33 years. All 12 major auto makers saw output drop, with Toyota Motor Corp. (TM, 7203.TO) suffering a 30.4% plunge.
The slide in output was much steeper than 1993's 10.2% fall, the previous record, the business daily said.
Exports took a 46.2% dive to 3.61 million vehicles for the first annual decline in eight years. Shipments to Asia tumbled 27.9% and exports to the U.S. plunged 41.8%.
Production in 2009 was down 40% from the peak in 1990 and exports were at half their 1985 high. Exports represented 58.1% of overall domestic output in 2008, but the rate dropped to 45.6% in 2009, the Nikkei reported.
Japan's total domestic output capacity is estimated at 11 million vehicles a year. In 2009, 4.6 million vehicles were sold in the home market.
