Japanese automakers' output falls

TOKYO, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Japan's five major automakers experienced sharp falls in sales and production in November, the companies said.

Kyodo reported Wednesday that Nissan Motor Co., Japan's third largest automaker, experienced its steepest fall in nearly a quarter century.

Global production for Nissan slid 33.7 percent to 222,212 vehicles last year, marking the largest fall since the manufacturer began compiling global production data in 1984, the Japanese news agency reported.

At Toyota, global production dropped 24.8 percent to 665,583 vehicles, while Honda's global auto output fell 9.9 percent to 326,176 units in November, the largest drop since it logged a 10.5 percent decline in August 2003.

For its part, Mazda Motor Corp. built 100,658 vehicles, down 17.9 percent, and global auto production at Mitsubishi totaled 91,750 units, down 27.7 percent.