TOKYO -- Total worldwide production at eight Japanese automakers declined on the year for a third straight month in May as lockdowns in Chinese cities continued to hold up shipments of key parts.
Output fell 0.3% to slightly more than 1.6 million vehicles, company data shows -- down more than 30% from May 2019, months before COVID-19 emerged. This was the lowest monthly total since September, when coronavirus outbreaks in Southeast Asia disrupted production, and supply chains look unlikely to return to normal for some time to come.
