Toyota Motor Corp. will cut domestic output in half from February through April and set production at about 9,000 units per operating day, industry sources said Jan. 18.

The company decided to suspend 11 of its 12 factories in Japan on Jan. 17 to address plummeting sales and a deepening global recession.

The drastic plan, which temporarily cuts vehicle output to half the previous year, is likely to lead to further production suspensions and higher losses for the year.

The cut will bring production below 11,000 units per day, which is said to be the borderline for profitability.

This is the first time Toyota has suspended production on this scale since August 1993, when it halted all domestic plants for a day to deal with the yen's rapid appreciation against the dollar, which was consuming its earnings.