Toyota Motor Corp's output in North America will likely fall short of its target by 20 percent in the February-April period, hurt by a sharp slide in sales in the wake of its massive vehicle recalls, the Nikkei business reported.
On Wednesday, Toyota's president apologized to U.S. lawmakers for the safety crisis that has led to the recall of more than 8.5 million vehicles around the world.
The automaker faces a criminal investigation and a securities probe in the United States as well as unresolved questions about hundreds of incidents of unintended acceleration reported by consumers.
The company has notified its major parts suppliers that its North American production for the February-April period is expected to reach roughly 350,000 units, down about 20 percent from its plan made in January, the Nikkei said.
A Toyota spokeswoman said the company does not disclose its production plans and declined to comment on the Nikkei report.
Following its decision to recall the Corolla, Camry and six other models due to accelerator pedal-related problems, Toyota halted sales of the eight models from late January to early February.
The automaker also stopped production at five North American plants from February 1 to February 5, and recently decided to suspend operations at its Kentucky and Texas plants for a total of 14 days through April.
If the fallout drags on, Toyota's parent-only 2010 worldwide production target of 7.5 million units, a nearly 18 percent increase from a year earlier, may need to be downgraded as well, the Nikkei said.
As of 0059 GMT shares of Toyota were up 1.5 percent at 3,320 yen, outperforming peers like Honda Motor (7267.T) and the benchmark Nikkei average .N225, which was flat.
