— Mitsubishi Motors Corporation (MMC) today announced production, domestic sales, and export results for April 2004.
Global production in April totaled 116,039 units, down 7.7 percent from a year earlier.
Output in Japan grew 2.7 percent on year to 51,564 units as production of commercial vehicles such as the Minicab Series and Delica Series surged 44.8 percent to more than offset a decline in passenger car production of 2.9 percent.
Offshore production, meanwhile, decreased 14.6 percent to 64,475 units. Output in Asia dipped 13.4 percent to 42,867 units, North American production shrank 35.3 percent to 11,149 units, and European production inched down 1.1 percent to 5,790 units.
Domestic sales for the month declined 19 percent to 16,286 units. Of this, registrations, which exclude 660cc minicars, dropped 20.7 percent on year to 5,759 units, while minicars totaled 10,527 units, down 18.1 percent on year. MMC s Japanese market share in April was 4.4 percent, down from 5.3 percent a year ago.
To beef up its product lineup in Japan and expand sales, MMC this week launched the eK Active minicar, the latest model in the popular eK Series, which brings a touch of SUV-styling to the minicar class. MMC also added a sporty edition to its Grandis minivan offering and released minor changes to other Grandis models on Tuesday. The product lineup was also extended with a total of six special edition models for the Colt compact, Pajero, Pajero Mini, and Airtrek SUVs.
Exports from Japan grew for the first time in five months, gaining 4.7 percent on year to 28,218 units. By region, exports to Asia shot up 126.3 percent on year to end at 7,795 units, while Europe-bound vehicles gained 15.8 percent to 7,146. Shipments to North America, however, slipped 41.9 percent compared to last April to 4,682 units.
|
April 2004 |
Calendar Year
2004 ('04/1-'04/4) |
| Volume |
YoY Chg.
(%) |
Volume |
YoY Chg.
(%) |
Domestic
Production |
Passenger Cars |
43,089 |
97.1 |
213,972 |
96.4 |
| Commercial Vehicles |
8,475 |
144.8 |
43,412 |
136.9 |
| Total |
51,564 |
102.7 |
257,384 |
101.5 |
Domestic
Sales * |
Passenger
Cars |
Registrations |
4,186 |
71.7 |
34,302 |
70.2 |
| Minicars |
6,260 |
76.7 |
56,905 |
99.8 |
| Total |
10,446 |
74.6 |
91,207 |
86.1 |
Commercial
Vehicles |
Registrations |
1,573 |
110.4 |
9,325 |
117.3 |
| Minicars |
4,267 |
91.1 |
25,646 |
102.9 |
| Total |
5,840 |
95.6 |
34,971 |
106.4 |
| Registrations Total |
5,759 |
79.3 |
43,627 |
76.8 |
| Minicars Total |
10,527 |
81.9 |
82,551 |
100.7 |
| Grand Total |
16,286 |
81.0 |
126,178 |
90.9 |
| Exports |
Passenger Cars |
27,150 |
106.3 |
112,955 |
89.7 |
| Commercial Vehicles |
1,068 |
75.7 |
5,750 |
107.9 |
| Total |
28,218 |
104.7 |
118,705 |
90.4 |
| |
| |
Domestic Production |
51,564 |
102.7 |
257,384 |
101.5 |
| Overseas Production |
64,475 |
85.4 |
247,151 |
81.5 |
| Total Production |
116,039 |
92.3 |
504,535 |
90.6 |
* Includes imports
N.B. Figures exclude truck and bus units as MMC's truck and bus operations were spun off into Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation in January 2003.
