Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday its global production plunged 50.8 percent in April from a year earlier to 379,093 vehicles, as the novel coronavirus outbreak dented demand and suspended output around the world.

The largest Japanese automaker by volume said its output in North America and Latin America stood at zero as the COVID-19 pandemic led to the closure of all factories there in the reporting month.

Toyota resumed production at its plants in the United States and Canada on May 11 after closing them for about 50 days following eased restrictions on economic activities by local authorities.

In Europe, the company produced only 577 vehicles at a factory in France, down 99.2 percent, due to the spread of the pneumonia-causing virus.

Its output in Japan fell 25.9 percent to 218,054 vehicles as the company temporarily closed its plants due to disrupted supply chains and weak demand.

Meanwhile, production in China climbed 27.8 percent to 143,135 vehicles after the restart of output since late March.

Toyota said its global sales dropped 46.3 percent to 423,302 vehicles in April due largely to stay-at-home orders by governments around the world.

Sales in North America and Europe were down 56.4 percent and 83.4 percent, respectively.

In Japan, the automaker sold 97,563 units, down 20.1 percent, as the government asked people to stay home as much as possible.

==Kyodo

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