JAPAN DATA: Auto industry vehicle output in April tumbled at a
record pace in April as the March 11 earthquake crippled production
facilities and supply chain network until mid-April, data from the Japan
Automobile Manufacturers Association showed today. New vehicle
production dropped by a whopping 60.1% from a year earlier to 292,001 in
April. The drop in April was the largest since the industry group
started to compile the data in January 1966, while the April output was
the smallest since January 1968. The April fall, which was the seventh
straight y/y drop, followed a 57.3% drop to 404,039 in March, which was
the lowest for the month of March since 1969 when output totaled
385,320.