Hino to Cut Output of Toyota SUVs as US Sales Slump (Update1)

28/08/2008 13:23. Aug. 28 (Bloomberg) -- Hino Motors Ltd. , Japan's largest maker of heavy trucks, will cut production of sport-utility vehicles for parent Toyota Motor Corp. as high gasoline prices damp North American sales.

The Tokyo factory, which makes Hilux Surf and FJ Cruiser SUVs, will drop one of two shifts starting from Oct. 1, spokesman Yoshihiro Udagawa said in a telephone interview today. The length of the production slowdown hasn't been decided, Udagawa said.

Hino had planned to make 217,600 SUVs and small trucks for Toyota this fiscal year, he said. U.S. gasoline prices, which have risen 21 percent this year, prompted Toyota to suspended output of Tundra trucks and Sequoia SUVs in... // Bloomberg