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Japanese Parts Paralysis: 35 Miles From The Fukushima Reactor, Nissan Wants...
In the face of hysteria about radiation that drowns out the true death and destruction in Japan, Renault and Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn toured the earthquake-damaged Nissan engine plant in Iwaki. Iwaki...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Tsunami Reaches U.S. Workshops
The first waves of the Japanese tsunami are reaching consumers at American shores. Oddly, some of the cars first affected may be the ones customers already have, not the ones they cannot buy. Toyota...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Lack Of Chips For Cars Can Cost $76 Billion
When we worked on the Phaeton launch in 2001, we said it had “more computers than a small company.” It had 56. Today’s cars have anywhere between 30 and 100 computers on board. They are small...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Toyota N.A. Shutting Down For A Week
Better get used to this: Barely had Toyota announced that it will reopen its Japanese plants, then Toyota U.S.A. chimes in and says: “We are shutting down.” Welcome to the supply chain gang. Toyota is...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis Reaches Subaru Indiana
Production of Legacy, Outback and Tribeca Subarus in Lafayette, Ind. will pause on Friday, April 15, Monday, April 18 and Monday, April 25 while Subaru sorts out supplies from Japan, Subaru of Indiana...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Toyota Japan Production On Half Rations Into The...
The March 11 tsunami is having long term effects on Japanese car production. Toyota, the world’s and by far Japan’s largest car company, is severely impacted. Toyota just announced that vehicle...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Honda Extends Half Steam Production Into May
Honda sources the vast majority of parts and materials needed for North American production in North America. “However, for global efficiency, a few critical parts continue to be supplied from Japan,”...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Toyota Announces More Shutdowns In North America...
During an intimate round table in Shanghai, usually well informed reporters were harping on the influence of radiation on Toyota sales. I expected the heads of communication of Toyota worldwide and...
View ArticleJapanese Parts Paralysis: Nissan’s Iwaki Engine Plant Back On-line
Nissan’s Iwaki engine plant is back on line, as this video from Nissan’s in-house channel attests. The plant, located some 35 miles away from the stricken Fukushima power plant, was severely damaged...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Worst Situation Since The War
“This is the worst situation we’ve faced since the war,” a source close to Toyota told the Yomiuri Shimbun. The Japanese car industry is facing post-war-like shortages when it comes to auto parts....
View ArticleJapanese Parts Paralysis Likely To Cause Steep Losses
Japan’s carmakers are slowly returning back to normal, hobbled only by unsure supply of parts and sometimes power. It will be slow going and full of surprises. One thing is for sure: The March 11...
View ArticleJapanese Parts Paralysis: Toyota Europe Up, Honda Brazil Down
The ripple effects of the March 11 tsunami keep bouncing around the globe. The is good news and bad news. (Or bad news and good news, depending on the side you are on.) Toyota said it will bring all...
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Nikkei: Toyota Back To 90 Percent Next Month, At 100 Percent In August
Come June, Toyota “plans to bring domestic auto production back to as much as 90 percent of targets set before the March earthquake hit, thanks to faster-than-expected improvements in parts supplies,”...
View ArticleJapan Plans Parts Maker Bailout – Of Sorts
The Development Bank of Japan is planning a bailout found for Japan’s hard-hit auto parts industry. The parts industry took the brunt of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, and it is parts shortages...
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Japanese Car Exports Down 67.8 Percent In April
Hit by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, exports of Japanese motor vehicles plummeted 67.8 percent from a year earlier in April.This according to data released today by the Japan Automobile...
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Quote Of The Day: Japan’s Downgrade Raises All Ships
Amazing quote in today’s Nikkei [sub]: “Shares in Toyota Motor Corp. gained further ground Tuesday afternoon, after Moody’s Investors Service Inc. said during the lunch break it may downgrade Japan’s...
View ArticleJapanese Auto Industry: We’re Baaaaack!
Fresh indications that the Japanese auto industry is getting back on is feet faster than thought. Honda and Toyota were – in numbers of cars not produced – hardest hit by the ripple-effect of the...
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Japan’s Government Wants Standardized Autoparts
When I stopped working for Volkswagen in 2005, they had some 400,000 parts, or “numbers” as they are called in industry parlance, in their central warehouse in Kassel. With each car, the number...
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Toyota U.S.A. Back To 100 Percent In September
Yesterday, we reported that the Japanese auto industry is recovering faster than previously assumed from the effects of the March 11 tsunami. Overseas factories were expected to be affected for...
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Japanese Parts Paralysis: Bad Bets With Chips
Why was Honda as much hit as Toyota by the March11 earthquake and tsunami? Doesn’t Honda have the bulk of its production outside of Japan? How could Nissan avoid most of the damage, even with an...
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