Nissan eyes 27 pct output fall in April-Sept -paper

TOKYO, March 4 (Reuters) - Nissan Motor Co expects its global output for the first half of the next business year to fall 27 percent to its lowest level in eight years, the Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper said Japan's third-biggest automaker unveiled its April-September target of 1.29 million vehicles at a briefing for autoparts makers but did not disclose its plan for the second half due to an uncertain sales outlook.

Nissan spokesman Yuichi Nakagawa said the company had briefed parts makers of its output plans but declined to reveal figures.

Like its rivals, Nissan, 44 percent owned by Renault SA, has slashed production in the past few months to work down a pile of unsold vehicles in dealer lots amid dwindling sales. Nissan's 2008/09 production will likely fall 17 percent from a year earlier to 2.93 million units, missing its February projection by 130,000 units and falling below the 3 million level for the first time in six years, the Nikkei said.

Toyota Motor Corp expects to produce 6.2 million vehicles on a parent basis in the next business year, down 12 percent from a year earlier, while Honda Motor Co's output is projected to drop 3-9 percent to 3-3.2 million units, the paper said. (Reporting by Sachi Izumi; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)