Some observers think this will be the worst month for production drops as a recovery slowly builds.
Confirming results that were already foreshadowed by the Japanese Big Three last week, the entire auto industry severely contracted in April, the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association said today. As a result of ongoing parts shortages caused by the Japan earthquake and tsunami, Japanese automobile production in April 2011 dropped 60% to 292,001 units – a decrease of 439,828. It was the largest fall in production ever recorded.
The economic destruction is mounting at the automakers and suppliers. The total value of automobiles exported for April 2011 was $5,913.446 million – $2,696.405 million for vehicles and $3,217.041 million for parts. This is a decrease of $5,523.561 million or 48 % as compared with $11,437.007 million recorded for the same month of the previous year.
The question remains how long before the industry can resume production at close to normal levels?
Exports were posted at 126,061 vehicles, compared with the 391,540 for the same month of the previous year, a decrease of 265,479 units or 68%. It was the second consecutive month of export decreases year-over-year.
| Japan Auto Export Figures – April 2011 |
| Automobile |
April 2011 |
| Units |
April 2010
(-%) |
| Toyota |
31,025 |
20.7 |
| Nissan |
14,642 |
28.0 |
| Mazda |
20,606 |
37.9 |
| Mitsubishi |
19,491 |
69.9 |
| Isuzu |
2,770 |
23.2 |
| Daihatsu |
984 |
27.4 |
| Honda |
6,473 |
23.8 |
| Subaru |
8,182 |
27.6 |
| UD Trucks |
692 |
47.0 |
| Hino |
3,069 |
54.7 |
| Suzuki |
17,121 |
70.0 |
| Mitsubishi Fuso |
1,006 |
34.3 |
| Total |
126,061 |
32.2 |
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.
