Nissan to slash Japan output by 70% in May, 43% in June, report says

TOKYO — Japan’s Nissan Motor Co. will slash its Japan auto production plans by 70 percent in May and 43 percent in June, documents seen by Reuters show, as the impact of the coronavirus shakes the troubled automaker.

Manufacturers around the globe are reeling from consumer demand shrunk by the spread of the coronavirus.

Nissan prior to the pandemic had already been grappling with the turmoil that followed the ousting of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn.

This month Nissan said that 15,000 employees at its headquarters in Yokohama and main R&D center in nearby Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, would be required to take leave for 16 days from Monday through Japan’s “Golden Week” holiday that starts on May 4.

Nissan stopped production at its Tochigi vehicle plant, which produces the Skyline sedan and Infiniti models, for much of this month, and plans to keep it closed for most of May.

Its plant in Kyushu, southern Japan, will operate only the day shift during April and May and shut down completely for four days during that period.