Toyota eyes Japan output at 90% of pre-quake level

Japanese auto giant Toyota said today its domestic production would return to about 90% of pre-quake levels in June thanks to a faster-than-expected recovery of parts supplies.

The forecast, which is much higher than the previous estimate of 70%, will be a huge improvement on April when output was just 21.6% of the same month last year.

Production recovered to around 70% in May as suppliers were able to restore operations faster than expected.

There are no precise figures for production abroad but expectations for June are between 70-100%, Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said.

Production will still be 70% in North America while almost all factories in Europe will operate at 100%, he said.

The March 11 earthquake and the tsunami hammered production, shattered supply chains and crippled electricity-generating facilities, including a nuclear power plant at the centre of an ongoing atomic emergency.

Amid power and parts shortages, Toyota had announced production disruptions domestically and in the United States, Europe, China and Australia, temporarily slowing output or closing factories.