Honda was in the process of rolling out a new line of Civic models when the earthquake struck.
Honda announced today in Tokyo that it is keeping auto production at about 50% of planned capacity from now until the end of June. The severely reduced output includes both final assembly operations for finished vehicles and component parts plants that make pieces for overseas manufacturing operations. Honda doesn’t think that full production will return until this fall.
Auto exports are crucial to the success of the Japanese economy, which is now facing a prolonged period of reduced output because of energy and parts shortages.
The latest setback for the Japanese auto industry, the result of the March earthquake and tsunami, follows the announcement late last week that Toyota will not be able to resume full production until the end of the year. Toyota, Japan’s largest automaker, is currently at 50% capacity in Japan and 40% or less in its overseas operations due to parts shortages.
Honda said a company-wide effort is underway to normalize production as soon as possible. “We deeply regret any inconvenience experienced by our customers and ask for their understanding during these challenging times,” Honda said in a statement.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
