Japan News: April 21st
4/21/2011
Nissan resumes limited production, announces final order cutoffs; Toyota running at half capacity
Nissan resumed limited production at its Japanese facilities on April 11; however, the automaker’s Japanese plants will be shut down between April 29 and May 8 in observance of Japan’s Golden Week holiday. Nissan has not released any production schedules beyond May 8.
Nissan also reported that as of Wednesday, April 20, it is no longer accepting model year 2011 orders. In addition, the manufacturer said that production of some model year 2011 orders will be suspended until model year 2012 ordering become available. We are in constant contact with Nissan, which has indicated that it will soon provide updated details regarding model year 2011 orders that will not be built, as well as information on 2012 ordering. Please note that due to the ongoing impact of the disaster in Japan, Nissan said it will not price-protect any impacted model year 2011 orders.
Toyota is currently running at 50% of production capacity at all of its Japanese plants. The automaker plans to continue operating at half capacity until April 28, when it will temporarily cease production through May 9 in observance of Golden Week. The automaker will resume limited production again from May 10 through June 3, after which point its production schedule remains undetermined.
Bi-weekly parts shipments from Toyota’s Japan facilities to North American ports are expected to continue, and Toyota’s North American facilities will operate on a reduced schedule through April. Please note that production will cease for five days – April 15, 18, 21, 22 and 25 – at virtually all of Toyota’s North American plants(the Georgetown, KY plant will be open April 21). Starting April 26, the automaker’s U.S. assembly plants will operate at 50% capacity three days a week.
In addition, Toyota’s facilities in Canada will cease production from May 23 – 28, while its U.S. plants will be closed May 30 – June 3. No decision has been made regarding production schedules after those shutdowns.
Mazda resumed limited production in Japan on April 4.
On April 14, Mazda cut off ordering for all of its Japan-built 2011 model year vehicles, as well as the 2012 Mazda5. All orders received prior to that date are expected to be fulfilled.
Mazda will accept orders for the Michigan-built 2011 Mazda6 through the end of April, and will continue limited production through June. Please note that Mazda said that it will only be able to fill orders for existing Mazda6 customers.
It is likely that Mazda will cease production during the Golden Week holiday, though the manufacturer has not confirmed that a shutdown will take place.
On April 8, Subaru resumed limited production on its Japan-built 2011 Forester and Impreza models. However, Subaru has also reported that vehicles produced in Japan and the U.S. may experience longer-than-normal lead times due to power and supply concerns stemming from the disaster. The manufacturer anticipates delivery timing will be extended by many weeks, but is currently unable to forecast exact delivery schedules.
Subaru will cease production during the Golden Week holiday at its Japanese and North American facilities.
Isuzu Commercial Truck has reported that, barring any further disruptions, Japan-built orders originally slated for production in March and April are now scheduled to be completed by mid-June. In addition, Isuzu continues to work with suppliers to ensure a consistent supply of service parts. Though the U.S. supply of parts is currently strong, Isuzu has stepped up conservation efforts by requesting that dealerships refrain from placing any orders in excess of what is critically required to support immediate customer needs.
Wheels is in constant communication with the manufacturers, and clients with orders potentially affected by the disaster have received notification from a member of your Wheels Account Team. We will continue to keep clients informed as the situation unfolds and we obtain additional information from the manufacturers.
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