Honda plants in Brazil and India have halted operations as the Japanese carmaker battles to recover from a cyberattack that affected several factories worldwide.

The cyberattack at the beginning of the week targeted Honda's internal servers and spread a virus through the company's systems, a spokeswoman told AFP on Wednesday.

Motorcycle plants in India and Brazil were still out of action following the attack, while a four-wheel vehicle plant in Turkey resumed operations on Wednesday, the spokeswoman said.

The firm was "still investigating details", she said.

Honda said the cyber attack was still affecting at least four plants globally
Honda said the cyber attack was still affecting at least four plants globally AFP / Philip FONG

In total, the cyberattack affected 11 Honda plants -- including five in the US, according to local media reports.

All US plants have resumed operations, the spokeswoman said, declining to elaborate further.

She said the suspension would have only a limited impact on Honda's business globally.

Global automakers including Honda have already been hit hard by a slump in sales because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Last month, Honda reported a 25.3-percent fall in net profit from the previous year as sales dropped six percent to 14.9 trillion yen ($138 billion) in the fiscal year ending in March.