Subaru to cut output at plants in Japan, US due to global chip shortage

[TOKYO] Japanese automaker Subaru said on Thursday it would cut output this month by "several thousand" vehicles at plants in Japan and the United States, citing a global shortage of semiconductors.

A spokesman said Subaru will adjust production at factories in Gunma, Japan and Indiana, reducing output by several thousand vehicles at each, without specifying exactly how many fewer cars will be made.

Subaru will also examine in future whether there will be further cuts from February, he said.

Global car makers have been hit by a global scramble for semiconductors as demand rebounds from the coronavirus crisis.

Subaru's competitor Nissan Motor said it planned to reduce production of the Note, a hybrid electric car, at its Oppama Plant in Kanagawa prefecture, Japan, while Honda Motor also said on Jan 8 its domestic output could be affected by a shortage of chips.

REUTERS