Mitsubishi cuts output by another 16,000 vehicles on chip crunch

TOKYO — Mitsubishi Motors will slash output by 16,000 units worldwide in May, the Japanese automaker said Friday, after a factory fire at key supplier Renesas Electronics squeezed the already tight global supply of automotive semiconductors.

Mitsubishi will eliminate 11 shifts next month, mainly night hours, at its Mizushima plant in Japan, which produces kei minicars and the RVR sport utility vehicle. The company will reduce output of the new Outlander SUV and other models at its Okazaki plant as well.

The automaker also will cut production in Thailand, its main overseas production hub. No full-day closures are planned.

Mitsubishi produced nearly 1.34 million vehicles in fiscal 2019. The upcoming cuts amount to roughly 14% of its average monthly output.

The automaker previously said it would cut production by 4,000 vehicles in Japan during March, then by 7,500 across…