Tokyo - Nissan Motor Co said Friday that it would reduce its production mainly for exports to the United States and Europe because of slowing demand amid the global economic downturn.

Japan's third-largest automaker said it would cut 72,000 units of domestic production. The reduction was in addition to an earlier announced production cut of 75,000 cars, bringing the total cuts for this fiscal year, which ends March 31, to 147,000 units.

The cuts would make up about 10 per cent of Nissan's initially planned output of about 1.4 million units.

Nissan also announced a plan to cut its temporary work force for domestic production to 500 from the current 2,000 employees by the end of the year. (dpa)