Effects of Japanese Earthquake/ Tsunami

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

One possible saving grace is that even Japan uses manufacturers in Taiwan, China, and other Asian countries to make thier parts for them cheaply...might not make that big a dent apart from, unfortunately, some really important parts that they like to keep making "in house".

Rumours still abound down at Holden. Fridays production was reduced to 2 half shifts, adding to speculation that the move is aimed at trying to conserve parts.

Cruze production for the week was less than 200, further adding to the speculation. Does not even come close to the 2000- 2500 being sold each month.

At an average of 140 cars being built per shift, and an almost chockers sales yard, Holden will be throttling back on production either due to parts shortage or over production.

[naddis01]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/25/m...rs-from-japan/

Mazda dealers in U.S. asked not to order cars from Japan
by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Mar 25th 2011 at 6:30PM



Automotive News is reporting that Mazda has suspended U.S. dealers from ordering vehicles made in Japan. The automaker is apparently preparing to close down plants once more after briefly opening doors after the earthquake and tsunami activity on March 11.

This doesn't mean that Mazda vehicles are going to dry up overnight, though. The automaker says that the ordering would only cover vehicles to be allocated for May, and that the company has decent vehicle stockpiles for U.S. buyers. As of right now, there's no indication as to when ordering will resume.

Mazda is reported to have had a 93-day supply of vehicles on dealer lots at the beginning of this month. While that figure is down from a 123-day supply in February, Automotive News says that a 60-day supply is considered normal for the industry. The automaker currently imports the Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, MX-5, RX-8, CX-7, and CX-9 models

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/24/u...om-earthquake/

Update on Japanese automakers recovering from earthquake
by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Mar 24th 2011 at 7:29PM

Prius production resumes, Honda further delays restarting plants



Japanese automaker news resulting from the March 11 earthquake is coming in fast and furious right now, so we've packaged the latest information in one convenient spot.

Toyota announced some good and bad news this week on the production front. The good news is that the company will resume limited production of the Prius, Lexus HS250h and CT 200h hybrids with all-new parts coming in. Eighteen other Toyota plants remain closed, however, through at least March 28, and the automaker has warned its assembly plants in North America that they could soon face parts shortages that interrupt production.

Honda has moved the restart date of its Japanese plants again from March 27 to April 3 or later. Among the vehicles affected are the Fit and CR-V. The company also says its research and development center will be closed for months due to extensive damage. Some of the work being done at the R&D facility has been moved to other Honda facilities in Japan.

Nissan restarted production in Japan on March 24, though the plants are using only existing parts stock with no new parts coming in. The company is studying whether its Tennessee engine plant could supply VQ V6 engines to Japan due to damages sustained at an engine plant in the quake zone. The automaker also lost 1,300 Infiniti models that were damaged at a Japanese port during the quake. CEO Carlos Ghosn claims 40 Japanese suppliers are still in trouble.

Mazda has been running some plants in Japan, though parts are starting to become scarce. The CX-7 and CX-9 are among the vehicles affected.

Subaru has postponed any production in Japan until at least March 28. In the U.S., the automaker has suspended overtime at its Indiana plant.

[AWD Chaser]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/25/r...e-of-red-blac/

Red and Black paint shortage:

Due to a pigment shortage stemming from the March 11 earthquake in Japan, Ford has had to stop taking new orders for cars in Tuxedo Black, and is limiting orders of three shades of red. Officials from Ford say they're working on another source for the pigment as you read this, and have enough cars in each color to satisfy demand until production resumes.

The paint shortage affects the F-150 and Super Duty lines of pickups, as well as the Explorer, the Expedition, Focus, Taurus and the Lincoln MKS and Navigator. Ford's slowdown follows General Motors, who slowed production of pickups in Shreveport, Louisiana, as well as compact cars in Europe following parts shortages.

Honda, Toyota and Nissan have all experienced slowdowns as a result of the quake, though none have had to limit color choices.

[Sprint XR8]

Rotating Power Rationing Plan Of Japanese Automakers Could Mean A Loss Of 1.3 Million Units

After the Mach 11 earthquake and tsunami shut down a large number of power plants in Japan, rolling blackouts were instated in large parts of the country. Lack of power emerges more and more as the biggest impediment to a quick recovery.of the Japanese automotive industry. Most of the industry has been shut down. Power will remain scarce for many months in Japan. Come summer and A/C time, the situation will be worse. Japanese automakers are now considering running their factories in rotation to help cut the industry’s electricity consumption, The Nikkei [sub] writes today. Japan’s automakers could prepare for a production loss of well over a million units for the year.

The blackouts, which usually last three hours per day, take a big hit on plant efficiency. Metal-casting, for instance, is heavily affected. Smelting ovens need to be cleared and emptied before the shutdown and need a lot of time to come back up once power is restored. A three hour blackout often results in a nine hour downtime.

Rather than having power outages every day, the manufacturers want to secure stable electricity supplies for their factories in exchange for cutting the overall power consumption by rotating production. Under the plan, whole factories would be shut down on certain days of the week. Automakers will meet at the office of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) to come up with a rotation schedule.

Now run the numbers. If a car company works only 5 days instead of 6 a week, that translates into a reduction of output of 17 percent. If the plan will remain in effect for the whole year, Japan could lose 1.3 million cars by the end of the year. Extra shifts would be out of the question, because that would negate the whole idea of power savings.

The 1.3 million number may sound sensationalist, but it is conservative. “Lost production in the two weeks since an earthquake and tsunami struck northeast Japan tops a third of a million vehicles,” writes Reuters, “and it could be months, rather than weeks, before the country’s automakers get back on track.” If more than 330,000 vehicles remained unmade in just two weeks, it does not take huge math skills to estimate the damage caused by the loss of power alone.

According to an energy brief by The Institute of Energy Economics, Japan, “a power shortage is definitely anticipated for the summer cooling demand season as well as next winter.” The Tohoku and Tokyo power companies have lost approximately 15 percent of their capacity for “a longer duration.”

Likewise, approximately 14 percent of the Japanese refining capacity is lost and needs “to be repaired over a longer time,” says the energy brief. Large parts of petrochemical production are reported destroyed by earthquake and fire. “Recovery is considered to take time,” says the report.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...s/#more-388793

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/02/r...japan-fallout/

Ford to idle first plant as a result of Japan disaster

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Apr 2nd 2011 at 4:33PM

Ford hasn't said much about its supply situation in the wake of the earthquake in Japan, but now the automaker has no choice but to spill the beans. The Detroit News reports that Ford will shut down its Louisville, Kentucky plant next week due to a parts shortage. The facility produces the Ford Expedition, Ford Super Duty trucks, and the Lincoln Navigator. Ford sales analyst George Pipas did not identify the part that was in short supply, though he did add that high gas prices have helped slow sales of these vehicles anyway.

Ford will also shut down its Flat Rock, Michigan plant, where the Mustang is produced, because the automaker already has a 116-day supply of the pony car. In Europe, Ford will idle the Genk, Belgium plant that produces the Mondeo, S Max and Galaxy minivan to help prevent future shortages.

Ford announced that events in Japan could further affect future production, but at this point it isn't interested in divulging the extent of its supply issues. Ford is actively searching for other parts sources wherever possible.

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/05/j...st-since-1968/

Japan's new cars sales reportedly plummet to lowest since 1968

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Apr 5th 2011 at 9:59AM

The March 11 earthquake and tsunami has wreaked havoc on Japanese automakers' ability to build new vehicles, while also shuttering many suppliers that automakers around the world count on for production. Integrity Exports reports the devastating natural disaster has thrown a massive wrench in auto sales as well.

Japan's March auto sales are reportedly the worst they've been since 1968. Overall vehicle sales were down 44.2 percent from the same month in 2010, while sales of all light cars were down a similarly colossal 32.5 percent on the month.

With many Japanese automakers still shut down nearly a month after the quake, we're guessing the sales slump in Japan will continue at least through April, and possibly throughout the summer.

[Source: Integrity Exports | Image: Yoshikazu Tsuno/AFP/Getty Images]

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/114638/t...s-on-april-18/

Toyota Japan to resume production at all plants on April 18
By Brett Davis | April 11th, 2011

Toyota will resume production at all manufacturing plants in Japan on April 18 after last month’s tsunami and earthquake ravaged much of the country, causing many factory closures. Toyota will reopen the plants at 50 percent output leading up to Japan’s Golden Week holidays which start in early May.

Toyota closed all of its major production facilities in Japan after the magnitude 9.0 earthquake struck exactly one month ago. These closures have reportedly caused the company to lose up to 500,000 units in production, with the company itself saying it had lost the potential to build 140,000 units during the time from March 14 to 26 alone.

Closures were due to either direct damage or a potential danger which was brought about by damaged nuclear power plants nearby. Indirect causes to closures also included a lack of parts supply for vehicle manufacturing, such as plastics, rubber and electronic parts. Up to 18 Toyota factories are said to have been closed due to the quake.

According to Koji Endo, an analyst at Advanced Research Japan in Tokyo, the company would have lost at least 100 billion yen (around $1.2 billion) due to production and time lost to the devastation.

The recovery process is going well, however. Late last month the company announced it would resume production of hybrid models on March 28.

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/08/r...cross-japan-o/

Report: Toyota to resume production at half-speed across Japan on April 18

by Chris Shunk (RSS feed) on Apr 8th 2011 at 6:30PM

With the exception of the facility that makes the Prius, Toyota plants in Japan have been closed following the earthquake disaster in Japan, but that is scheduled to change by April 18. The Associated Press is reporting that Toyota will resume production that day, though assembly lines will only work at half speed. The plants will run through April 27, when they will close again until May 9 to honor Japan's Golden Week holiday. That's a fairly short production window, but the move is likely welcome news to Toyota's rank and file. The automaker has already lost 260,000 units since the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Toyota's plan to restart production comes as the automaker continues to struggle to procure parts needed for production. Toyota's parts situation has improved, however, as the AP reports that problem part counts have gone from 500 to under 150.

Toyota president Akio Toyoda acknowledges that parts supply issues are still hurting the automaker, but adds "we are doing our utmost to improve the conditions so that we can deliver cars to many customers."

[Source: Associated Press via Daily Tribune | Image: Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty]

[vztrt]

http://news.theage.com.au/drive/moto...413-1ddd6.html

Toyota to halt production at five European plants
April 13, 2011 - 11:47AM

Japanese auto giant Toyota said on Wednesday it would temporarily halt production at five European plants for several days in April and May, due to a shortage of parts following the March 11 earthquake.

Toyota said the plants in Britain, Turkey, France and Poland would also operate at a reduced volume in May "in order to manage available parts supply".

Japan's leading automakers have been forced to suspend production due to the impact of the huge earthquake and tsunami, with crucial supply chains broken and power cuts prompting plants to be shuttered.
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Toyota Wednesday said three vehicle production plants -- Burnaston in England, Adapazari in Turkey and Onnaing in France -- will be affected by the latest production issues.

Production at engine manufacturing facilities in Jelcz-Laskowice in Poland and in Deeside, Wales, will also be halted.

Toyota said eight non-production dates between April 21 and May 3 have been scheduled, although this coincided with some previously planned public or company holidays at some facilities.

"Even though most of our parts come from European suppliers, we are experiencing gaps in our supply chain due to the situation in Japan," Didier Leroy, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe said in a statement.

"By adjusting our production in Europe, we are adapting to the current situation whilst not completely interrupting our deliveries of vehicles to our customers."

The automaker has previously said it will suspend all output operations at most of its 14 North American factories for four to five weekdays later this month.

Toyota last week said that production at its factories in Japan will restart from 18 April until 27 April at 50 percent of normal pace.

© 2011 AFP

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/115110/t...arts-shortage/

Toyota Australia production cut in half due to parts shortage
By Tim Beissmann | April 14th, 2011

Toyota Australia’s new vehicle production will be cut in half for May and June – and potentially longer – as a result of a parts supply shortage following last month’s Japanese earthquake and tsunami disaster.

The Altona manufacturing plant in Melbourne will operate on a schedule of around 50 percent over the next two months, with a decision about July production to be made in June.

From May 9, Toyota Australia’s 3300 Altona-based employees will work half-day vehicle production shifts, and will be involved in additional training and plant improvement activities where possible.

Throughout May and June, Toyota Australia expects to produce approximately 9600 Aurion, Camry and Hybrid Camry vehicles for Australia and export markets.

Toyota Australia executive director manufacturing, Chris Harrod, said the brand aimed to keep delivery delays to a minimum.

“Our focus is on ensuring optimum stock management to reduce the impact on customers of the immediate production shortfalls,” Mr Harrod said. “It may be difficult to avoid some inconvenience for some customers.

“It is important to note that this is a necessary response to a short-term supply issue and we intend to resume 100 percent vehicle production as quickly as possible.”

All of Toyota’s 18 manufacturing plants in Japan were forced to close following the March 11 disasters.

Production of three hybrid models (including the Prius) at different two plants restarted on March 28, with Toyota deciding to make those vehicles a priority.

As reported earlier this week, all other Toyota plants that are still closed in Japan will resume production on April 18 at around 50 percent capacity.

It is understood the closures in Japan have led to the loss of production of up to 500,000 Toyota Motor Corp. vehicles.

Meanwhile, five Toyota plants in Europe will be forced to shut down for “several days” in April and May as supply chain disruptions continue to wreak havoc on international production.

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/13/p...s-since-quake/

PSA: Japan automakers have lost half a million units since quake

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Apr 13th 2011 at 5:28PM

According to Automotive News, Japanese automakers have seen their production drop by over 500,000 units since the March 11 earthquake struck the island nation. In the month since the disaster, the country's seven largest automakers lost around 516,000 units of production due to damage to production facilities and supplier delays. Toyota has been the hardest hit, with a loss of 260,000 units as of April 8. The automaker has a total of 18 domestic manufacturing facilities, and while two of those are back online, the remainder won't open their doors until at least April 18. Even then, the plants may shut down again after April 27.

Honda, Suzuki, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi are all operating on some level, though production is an on-again, off-again affair. As an example, Nissan has managed to re-open all five of its Japanese facilities, though production has been scaled back to half-pace for the time being. There's no word as to when full production will ramp up once again.

[Source: Automotive News – sub. req.| Image: Wally Santana/AP]

[vztrt]

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/22/r...d-of-the-year/

Report: Toyota production back to normal by end of the year

by Zach Bowman (RSS feed) on Apr 22nd 2011 at 10:59AM

The Detroit News is reporting that Toyota believes its production will be back on track by November or December of this year. The automaker saw global manufacturing slow after the tragic earthquake and tsunami activity of last month, though pre-disaster levels of production may return in Japan as soon as July. Meanwhile, shipping delays will cause manufacturing at the company's overseas plants to begin to normalize beginning in August. It will then take another two months for production to completely meet earlier targets.

Currently, Toyota's Japanese facilities are operating at around 50-percent of capacity, though as The Detroit News reports, parts shortages have caused production delays at the company's plants in the U.S. and around the world. While Toyota says that it will continue to work with its standard parts providers, the automaker has also made it clear that it will explore substitute suppliers as it continues to push toward returning to pre-quake output levels.

[Source: The Detroit News]

[vztrt]

Slow sales, quake threaten to topple Toyota

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...257884002B7EFE

Toyota could lose largest car-maker title in 2011 due to recall, quake aftermath

2 May 2011

By HAITHAM RAZAGUI

THE Japanese car-makers have released final production figures for their financial year ending March 31 – just 20 days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami hit the country – and all but Toyota, Mazda and Honda reported double-digit increases on the previous year.

Toyota, dogged by a damaged reputation as a result of repeated recall dramas saw its worldwide production grow just 1.1 per cent, to 8,241,675 units.

The modest production increase for the year, coupled with the company’s expectation that it will not return to full production until November or December, paves the way for a resurgent General Motors and relentless Volkswagen Group to send it tumbling from the global top spot to third – or even fourth if combined results of the Renault-Nissan Alliance are taken into account.

For the 2010 calendar year, GM was just 28,000 units behind Toyota in the sales race.

As expected in the aftermath of the earthquake, Toyota’s production for March was down 31.3 per cent globally, with a 61.5 per cent reduction in Japan and 2.2 per cent overseas.

In the face of the uncertainty caused by the rebuilding efforts, no Japanese vehicle manufacturer has issued production or sales forecasts for the present quarter or beyond.

At the opposite end of the growth spectrum, Nissan produced 24.5 per cent more vehicles worldwide at 4,214,959.

The company’s financial results will not be published until May 12, but before the earthquake it forecast net profit of ¥315 billion ($A3.5 billion), a 643 per cent increase over FY2009.

Mazda production grew 4.7 per cent to 866,992 units while Honda car sales rose 5.5 per cent compared with an 18 per cent rise in power equipment sales and a 19.7 per cent rise for motorcycles.

Honda, which recorded a net profit of ¥534 billion, an increase of 266 per cent, said the increased sales and efforts to reduce the overall costs of running the business enabled it to fend off the impacts of the March 11 disaster, a strong Yen and increased research and development costs.

Mitsubishi Motors’ net profit of ¥15.6 billion represents a 228 per cent increase on the previous financial year on the back of a 26 per cent rise in revenue, thanks to a 15 per cent increase in volume to 1,105,000 units, which Mitsubishi attributes to the popularity of the ASX crossover in global markets.

The biggest volume hike for Mitsubishi was in Europe, where it achieved 29 per cent growth in an otherwise slow market, thanks to Russia – where local production of the Outlander has commenced.

Suzuki also had a good year, with global production for FY2010 at 2.878 million units, up 13.1 per cent. The company’s financial results are yet to be published but it has predicted a 21 per cent increase on FY2009.

Japanese brand vehicle production:
Brand Sales Growth %
Toyota
8,241,675 1.1
Nissan 4,214,959 24.5
Honda 3,512,000 5.5
Suzuki 2,878,000 13.1
Mitsubishi 1,105,000 15
Mazda 866,992 4.7
Subaru 623,521 11.9

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/118431/t...ction-in-june/

Toyota Australia back to full production in June
By Anthony Crawford | May 11th, 2011

Toyota’s Altona manufacturing facility will return to full strength from June 6, this year.

With the Japanese earthquake have a devastating affect on the parts supply; Altona was forced to cut production by up to 50 percent of pre-earthquake/Tsunami levels.

Toyota Japan has secured interim parts suppliers while some of the larger organizations gear up again, which has allowed the factory in Australia to increase production to 9000 cars per month from July 6.

It seems the Toyota Australia family have done their part too with Toyota Australia President and CEO Max Yasuda saying,

“The past two months have been challenging for Toyota Australia employees, dealers, and suppliers, but their flexibility and support has been critical in helping the company get back on it’s feet quickly.”

Toyota Australia will continue to provide information to its customers via their website – www.toyota.com.au

[bobthebilda]

Originally Posted by vztrt

http://www.caradvice.com.au/118431/t...ction-in-june/

Now comes the harder part from them. Make 9000 cars, sell 2000 in australia, and try and export 7000.

VFacts state 14603 cars were made in Australia in April, and Toyota said production cuts werent going to start until may. Rough guesses, but if Ford made 2500, Holden made 5000, then Toyota only made 7000 anyhow.

[vztrt]

Japanese car doubt after August

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2578A1000E26E6

Fleets warned to order early for end-of-lease replacements

31 May 2011

By JOHN MELLOR

JAPANESE vehicle supplies are starting to flow again, but question marks hang over supplies beyond August, with disruptions possible until the end of the year, fleets have been told.

This scenario emerged from a briefing by a panel of car company fleet managers from Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, Honda, Ford and Hyundai to corporate fleet managers at an event organised by the Australasian Fleet Managers Association to update the industry on the knock-on effects of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and the likely availability of replacement cars being available for their employees or lease customers.

Final assembly has been resumed, in many cases using parts and assemblies already completed before the earthquake. Some vehicle shipments to Australia are of cars made before the emergency.

The issue is how quickly the Japanese supply industry can resume production once the current parts in the pipeline are exhausted. Some key suppliers have been wiped out.

Japanese officials are also said to be holding their cards close to their chests and releasing ad-hoc data on a need-to-know basis.

The issue of stock availability is especially important for fleets where cars are coming off lease and must be handed back to the leasing company by a due date.

If no replacement car is available due to stock shortages, gaps will appear in the fleet and fleet managers will be forced to seek an alternative brand.

Managers were also warned that, with likely shortages to the end of the year, used car values are set to rise and that leasing companies will be anxious to clear off-lease cars as soon as possible to get the highest return possible while the shortage lasts.

While supplies in some brands are resuming, mostly at reduced levels, the consensus of the panel was that the situation beyond August was unknown, with many tier four and tier five suppliers being un-contactable since the tsunami.

The situation is complicated by power and fuel shortages as well as lost transport infrastructure. Japanese car-makers have shifted to making cars on Saturday and Sunday instead of Thursday and Friday because more power is available at the weekend.

Problems experienced at a small number of parts suppliers have caused major concern.

Renesas Electronics Corporation, which is world’s number five supplier of automotive microchips, supplies to Subaru, Honda and Toyota among others.

Its crucial clean rooms at its Naka wafer fabrication factory in Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, were severely compromised by the earthquake, with equipment damaged.

The average vehicle has between 100 and 120 microchips controlling most operating systems, including engines, transmission management, ABS, ESC, airbags, body control systems, climate controls and so on. No car can be built without them.

Japanese car-makers have lent 2500 of their own employees to Renesas to help with the recovery.

The company was hoping to resume wafer production by the end of July, and the mammoth effort by the industry had rolled than back to early June. But shipments of finished chips are scheduled for the end of August and pre-earthquake volumes are expected by the end of October.

Ford

Ford, which imports vehicles from Europe and Thailand, has suffered virtually nil impact.

Ford says that by mid next year, 85 per cent of the Ford range will be refreshed or totally new vehicles and therefore the company will be in a strong position to supply the market with what it needs.

Hyundai

Hyundai sources less than one per cent of its parts from Japan, and no cars sold in Australia are affected.

But Hyundai warned here was a risk that, if buyers were unable to get supply from other brands, they would turn to Hyundai and that Hyundai dealers in Australia could also experience short supply later this year because its plants are running at near capacity.

The company recommended that fleet buyers place orders with dealers at least three months before a replacement car was needed to ensure fleets got another car at the end of lease.

Subaru

Subaru production has restarted, with the interrupted March production schedule now completed. Some of those cars are earmarked for Australia, with a small number of units now arriving.

April production has now started, with those cars expected to arrive in Australia between June and late July. All variants are included because they are based on retailer and manufacturer orders back in January and February.

Because of Subaru Australia’s high market share within the Subaru world, Australia has been able to secure additional production from the factory in July. That July production is expected to arrive in Australia from August to mid-September.

This will include WRX/STI, Forester (excluding Forester X and diesel variant), Outback (excluding diesel variants) and Liberty with limited supply of 2.5 CVT and no 2.5 manuals.

No normally aspirated Impreza or base model Forester, Outback or Forester diesel variants will be available in that additional July production.

Events are unfolding on a week-to-week basis and Subaru managing director, Nick Senior, is in constant contact with Japan.

The fleet managers were told there was “no visibility on production for Subaru Australia after July”.

Replacement parts production resumed in early April.

Mitsubishi

Mitsubishi lost about 10 days’ production out of Japan because of the sharing of power among manufacturers due to power shortages, and that was expected to be made up by the end of May. So the initial affect in Australia has been a slight delay in vehicles coming out of Japan.

Mitsubishi will achieve 100 per cent production in May and June, but only eight per cent production in July. Outside of that window, the company says the view is “less defined” and “ever-changing” as the supply situation changes.

The company has received increased in demand from fleet customers who would normally buy from other brands, recently taking an order for 150 Tritons that would normally have been sourced from another company.

Mitsubishi said most spare parts were available, but about 10 parts were at a “critical level” and on “an emergency order processing system managed through the dealers”.

Nissan

Nissan said it was fortunate it was holding stock in Australia, stock within dealerships and stock that was about to be loaded on to boats. Stock has been arriving in Australia since mid May.

Nissan said it was confident it could maintain supply but remained on a watching brief.

Nissan lost three weeks’ production in Japan between March 14 and April 9. The only plant directly affected by the quake, Iwaki, resumed full production on May 17.

Production of the X Trail and the Patrol wagon has resumed. Production of the 350Z, Murano, Maxima and the GTR has been delayed, along with Patrol cab-chassis because Nissan was changing plants at the time of the earthquake.

Vehicles sourced the UK, Spain and Thailand are unaffected. Navara D22, Tiida and Micra come from Thailand, while Dualis comes from the UK and the Navara D40, SDX and Pathfinder come from Spain.

Nissan Australia said it had secured production in coming months, but international shipping capacity had been cut, with one shipping line cutting shipments of cars to Australia in May from five to two.

Honda

Honda production was out for two weeks, but all production plants have been open since early April. The supply chain within Japan remains the biggest issue.

Eighty per cent of Honda Australia’s cars come from Thailand, which hopes to maintain supply for the foreseeable future.

General accessories and replacement parts for existing vehicles on the road are “not an issue”.

Honda Australia and dealership stock levels are “very good”. Some model changes had been scheduled for May and Honda backed off on clearing stock of those to continue the supply through to the new models.

But, as with the other panelists, Honda could not say what would happen from August.

Meanwhile, The Economisthas reported that Toyota was short of 500 components after the earthquake. While it has reduced that number to only 30, that remains serious because it only takes one missing component to stop production of a car.

According to The Economist, GM, Ford and Chrysler are all affected in the US, and Chrysler could end up losing 100,000 vehicles from 2011 production.

[mrbaxr6t]

as interesting as this is it should be extremely low on peoples' radars there is plenty of existing vehicles and parts to keep us driving around in the short to medium term, that nuclear reactor should be the global #1 priority, affected overseas manufacturers due to parts shortages might have to <gasp> make the parts themselves to maintain production, but if the rest of the world is going the way we are there are craploads of new vehicles sitting in holding yards waiting for homes and production was already in Australia being slowed because it was outpacing demand. the manufacterers have an inventory to service orders which will buy them time to make alternate arrangements, that reactor on the other hand needs to be dealt with yesterday, what good are cars if the planets' too radioactive to support life?

[2011G6E]

During the Kobe earthquake you had a hell of a time buying motorbike tyres, as most of the factories were in the area. I remember buying the last pair of tyres in stock in Queensland to suit my Z1000J at the time, and none were due "in the foreseeable future until manufacturing facilities are repaired".

Might not be that big a problem today with most bits being made in India, China, or other Asian countries.

[fasty73]

We use heaps of Toyota parts for our taxi fleet of 125 cars and we can't get heaps of commonly used parts and they are important, like thermo fan motors for the new model torago. We were doing at least one a fortnight and they are only genuine parts, can't fit aftermarket, it's going to kill us. Saying that I still sympathize with them as they were hard hit.

[vztrt]

Quake cripples Japan production in April

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2578A3001842C5

Japan auto production down 60 per cent in April, Toyota makes 78 per cent fewer cars

2 June 2011

By MARTON PETTENDY

OFFICIAL figures released by the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) on May 31 reveal total vehicle production in Japan slumped by 60.1 per cent in April.

Japanese auto-makers produced 439,828 fewer vehicles in the month after the ‘Great East Japan Earthquake’ on March 11, with production of just 292,001 vehicles (down from 731,829 in April 2010) representing the island nation’s seventh straight monthly production decline.

According to JAMA, Japan manufactured 60.2 per cent or 377,548 fewer passenger cars (249,772) in the month, as well as 57.5 per cent fewer trucks (40,305) and 80 per cent fewer buses (1924).

While that led to a 48.5 per cent decline in domestic car sales (to 153,530) in April, Japan’s vehicle exports were harder hit, with just 126,061 total exports representing 67.8 per cent fall from the 391,540 vehicles exported in April 2010.

Including parts, JAMA said the total value of auto exports in April was $US5.91 billion – down 48.3 per cent on the $US11.44b the Japanese auto industry earned in April 2010.

Apart from Honda, which produced 81 per cent fewer vehicles in Japan during April (just 14,168 units), Toyota was most affected, producing just 53,823 vehicles – a 78.4 per cent plunge from the same month last year.

Truck makers Mitsubishi Fuso (down 70.8 per cent to 1606 vehicles) and Isuzu (down 68.6 per cent to 4749 vehicles) were next, followed by Toyota small-car subsidiary Daihatsu (down 63.6 per cent to 20,578), Mazda (down 49.7 per cent to 35,313), Nissan (down 48.7 per cent to 44,193), Toyota’s truck brand Hino (down 34.7 per cent to 4940), Mitsubishi (down 31.7 per cent to 27,481) and Suzuki (down 31.1 per cent to 58,398).

Toyota said its Japanese operations would return to 90 per cent of capacity by the end of May – better than the 70 per cent figure it previously targeted for June.

Toyota Australia has announced it will resume normal production of about 9000 Camry and Aurion vehicles a month from June 6 after reducing output by 50 per cent from May 9.

Toyota output in Europe, China and Thailand will reach almost 100 per cent by the end of June, but production in North America will remain at about 70 per cent until the end of July.

The world’s largest auto-maker (last year) continues to forecast it will return to full global production output by November or December – and that it expects total 2011 production to rebound to the same level as last year, when Toyota built 7.62 million vehicles.

To achieve that feat, Toyota said it will ramp up production in the second half, in part by working extra days and increasing line speed.

However, many Japanese factories remain crippled by ongoing power shortages following the closure of the quake-affected Fukushima nuclear plant and last month’s decision to shut the Hamaoka nuclear plant in central Japan’s manufacturing heart.

Mazda this week announced it will shift weekends for its Japanese factory workers from Saturday-Sunday to Thursday-Friday for the three months between July and September.

“Mazda is implementing this change in co-operation with industry-wide efforts to reduce electricity consumption on weekdays,” said Mazda on May 31 – the day before the Northern Hemisphere’s summer began.

“These efforts are in line with plans already announced by the Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association (JAMA) in response to concern over nationwide shortages in electricity supply during the summer period.

“Mazda apologises to everyone inconvenienced by this change, including its business partners and local communities.”

The quake’s devastating effect on Japan’s auto supply chain was also blamed for Toyota’s decision to delay the launch of its Prius-based people-mover in Japan, but it appears Toyota’s long-term production boom will continue unabated in China.

Toyota announced on April 28 that it will soon begin construction of another new plant in China – the third in its joint-venture with China FAW Group Corporation (FAW) – before production starts in the first half of next year.

Toyota is also reported to be considering a fourth plant in Thailand, where its HiLux factory was the first Toyota plant globally to return to maximum production this year.

[vztrt]

http://www.caradvice.com.au/121772/t...-until-august/

Toyota Australia delivery to be affected until August
By Tim Beissmann | June 3rd, 2011

Toyota Australia says its new car inventory and delivery will not return to normal until August.

Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner, said there was limited stock available in May as a result of global production disruptions stemming from the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan on March 12.

Mr Buttner explained the number of vehicles arriving in Australia in June would be almost double the amount that arrived in May.

He insisted priority would be given to customers who have already placed orders for new vehicles and have been waiting the longest to take delivery.

“We regard the respectful treatment of our customers and potential customers as a far more important measure of success than a single month’s sales,” Mr Buttner said.

Toyota Australia slipped to second in the sales in May (behind Holden), ending a streak of 73 months at the top of the charts. The 11,044 May sales result was Toyota’s leanest month since January 2002.

Mr Buttner said Toyota’s local inventory was likely to normalise after next month.

“In July we will receive almost the full quota of cars we ordered well before Japan’s natural disasters occurred.

“For the rest of the year, our business will basically be back to normal, thanks to a faster-than-expected pick-up in production.”

Despite the sales hit in May, Toyota will not lose its ranking as the top selling manufacturer in Australia in 2011. So far this year, Toyota has delivered 72,614 new vehicles, 22,871 units clear of Holden, which currently sits in second place.

The Camry, HiLux 4×2, HiLux 4×4, LandCruiser 200 Series and HiAce still led their individual segments in May, emphasising their dominance in their respective categories.

2011 Toyota Australia sales:

January – 14,817

February – 14,604

March – 18,466

April – 13,683

May – 11,044

[vztrt]

Quake shakes 25,000 sales out of Toyota Oz

http://www.goauto.com.au/mellor/mell...2578F6002671A9

Toyota parts shortages could end up costing 25,000 sales, despite recovery efforts

24 August 2011

By RON HAMMERTON

JAPAN’S devastating earthquake and tsunami might cost Toyota Australia up to 25,000 vehicle sales this year, according to the company’s senior executive director of sales and marketing David Buttner.

Speaking at the Australian unveiling of the all-new Camry in Melbourne today, Mr Buttner revealed that immediately after the March quake, he thought the event might cost as many as 90,000 sales for Toyota in Australia, almost halving its annual tally

But, he said, a “fantastic job” by Toyota’s manufacturing operations and parts suppliers had restored production in a timely manner, minimising the damage to the sales charts and keeping the new seventh-generation Camry on track for a 2011 production start.

Toyota Australia’s Altona plant was forced on to half-shift production in May and June due to parts shortages from Japan, while imports also suffered as factories in Thailand and Japan slumped to as little as 30 per cent of their normal production rate.

In the immediate aftermath of the quake, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) feared the recovery might take until November or even December, but most plants are already close to full production, with Toyota in the US saying it will operate its plants at 110 per cent to make up for lost time.

Mr Buttner said Toyota Australia would not know definitively until the end of the year how many sales it had lost as a result of the quake.

But he said it appeared that the loss could be between 20,000 and 25,000 in local production and imported vehicles.

Assuming a $30,000 retail price for each lost car due to the quake, the lost turnover could add up to $750 million, putting a hole in Toyota’s $2.9 billion spend on parts and services in Australia and its profitability in its financial year that ends on March 31.

Last year, Australia’s number one car company sold 214,718 vehicles. This year, Toyota sales are down 21.3 per cent, with dealers moving 98,108 vehicles to the end of July, compared with 124,720 in the same period last year.

Toyota’s market share has slumped 3.3 percentage points this year, to 17 per cent, compared with 20.3 per cent at the same time last year.

Mr Buttner said Toyota was set to get a lift from a raft of new models, with a new-model cycle beginning in the second half of this year.

Among the products due to hit the showroom are the upgraded HiLux ute – Australia’s top-selling light commercial vehicle – the new Yaris light car and the all-new Camry – Australia’s best-selling mid-sized car.

Much of the improved momentum from these now models will not be felt until 2012, when the Camry, in particular, reaches full production with the arrival of the hybrid version and its V6 sister car, the Aurion.

“It is a pretty exciting time for the franchise,” Mr Buttner said. “We are getting back to 2007 levels when we launched seven new-generation cars and we are getting into the next cycle.”

So far this year, all 17 models offered by Toyota in Australia are in negative sales territory, with only the new FJ Cruiser – which wasn’t available last year – adding incremental volume.

Mr Buttner predicted that the Australian motor vehicle market was likely to recover to one million units by year’s end, with predictions of lower interest rates and recovering stock market helping to lift sales.

He said that despite the high Australian dollar, exports of Camry to 20 countries would continue next year with the new Camry, at the same levels as previously or maybe even more.

This year, Toyota expects to make 88,000 Camrys and Aurions at Altona, down from 95,000 last year, and 126,000 at its peak.

Mr Buttner declined to disclose 2012 production and sales targets for Camry, saying that information would be divulged at the November media launch of the new model.