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, ship
The March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan hit Honda hard, as production was down for weeks and the automaker's research and development center was badly damaged. In fact, the quake damaged the Tochigi facility so badly that one employee died and 17 others were injured after a cafeteria wall collapsed.
Honda has announced it will resume production at its Japanese plants effective April 11. Though the factories are ready to be up and running at full capacity again, Honda is keeping production levels at 50 percent due to a shaky parts supply.
If you've watched any of the news coverage of the Japan earthquake, you've likely seen the tsunami footage showing cars being tossed around like Hot Wheels. The waterlogged vehicles number in the thousands, and the Japanese government has a big task in cleaning up the mess.
Due to the extensive damage in Japan caused by the massive earthquake and resultant tsunami on March 11, many have questioned if the island nation can recover in a year, much less a few months. If the swiftness with which the Japanese can repair roads is any indication, we wouldn't bet against the country cleaning up this catastrophe in short order.
2012 Toyota Prius V – Click above for the high-res image gallery
It may be some time before consumers in line for a new Japanese car get their hands on their new ride.
As fears of radiation from Japan's severely compromised Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant seem to be growing by the minute, automakers have tried to assure car buyers that most of their products are produced far enough away from the crippled facility that fallout won't end up on vehicles, but Chris Shunk
As a result of the devastation left behind by the recent earthquake and tsunami activity in Japan, the organizers of MotoGP have moved the Motegi round to October 2. The race was originally scheduled for next month, but widespread damage to the road system between Tokyo and Mito is not expected to be fixed in time. Additionally, Visordown
Honda has announced that it will temporarily suspend operations at both its Hamamatsu and Kumamato facilities this week. Both plants are responsible for producing the company's stable of motorcycles. The Hamamatsu plant, which builds the CBR600RR and CBR1000RR, has closed its doors today, March 14, while the Kumamato factory will be shuttered tomorrow. The latter facility is responsible for the
As you've no doubt heard, a massive 8.9-magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of Japan. In the wake of the seismic event; Toyota, Honda, Subaru and Nissan have shut down and evacuated multiple factories throughout the country. This earthquake is one of the strongest on record in nearl
CHP responds to the '89 San Francisco Earthquake – Click above to watch video after the jump
Alaskan Way Viaduct earthquake simulation -- Click above to watch video
The earthquake that struck Japan on Monday is affecting several automakers, most notably Toyota, as damage to a key supplier's manufacturing facility has interrupted the flow of parts required to build cars. Riken Corp's plant at Kashiwazaki is the one that got hit by the 6.8 magnitude quake, and the facility is offline while the company works feverishly to complete the necessary repairs.
