Nissan expects to return to pre-earthquake output by October, as Japan recovers from the worst natural disaster in its history.
Toyota, Nissan and Honda – the Japanese Big Three – become a lot smaller in April as auto production virtually halted in Japan and was severely hurt globally due to parts shortages caused by the earthquake in March.
Toyota Motor Corporation production was down 78% in Japan, and 26% overseas. The upshot is a global decline of auto production amounting to -48% or 308,555 vehicles when compared to the year earlier period.
It now seems virtually certain that Toyota will loose its Number One position in global sales this year to General Motors.
Nissan’s global production in April decreased 22.4% to 248,024 units. Production in Japan decreased 48.7% year-on-year to 44,193 units.
Things weren’t any better at Honda Motor Company, which saw global production decline to 138,498 motor vehicles or -53%.
April and May could be the bottom for Japanese auto companies though as the supply chain recovers. Officially, the companies say that full production won’t resume until the fall, a conservative estimate according to some auto industry analysts.
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.
