Tokyo
Japan’s Mitsubishi Motors Corp. on Monday forecast an operating loss of ¥140 billion ($1.33 billion) in the year to March as the automaker battles a fall in demand for cars due in part to the coronavirus pandemic. Japan’s No. 6 automaker anticipates its biggest operating loss in at least 16 years, according to Reuters data, just as it embarks on a plan to shrink its workforce and production, and close unprofitable dealerships to reduce 20 percent of fixed costs in two years. “To pave the way to recovery, the top priority of all executives is to share a sense of crisis with employees to execute cost reductions,” Chief Executive Takeo Kato told reporters. Global automakers including Mitsubishi Motors have been forced to reconsider their production and sales strategies in the near term as the coronavirus pandemic has eroded demand for cars. The maker of the Outlander SUV reported a ¥53.3 billion operating loss in the first quarter, its second operating loss in three quarters, after vehicle sales more than halved between April and June from the previous year. The loss compares with an operating profit of ¥3.9 billion a year ago, and was worse than a consensus estimate of a ¥43.5 billion loss drawn from six analysts polled by Refinitiv..— Reuters
