japan
Mazda Suspends Dealer Orders For Japanese-Built Cars, Nearly All Mazdas Affected
Mazda is planning to close down their assembly plants again, while stopping orders from dealers in the United States for their made-in-Japan vehicles. The Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, MX-5, RX-8, CX-7, CX-9 are all affected. Only the Mazda6 and Tribute will remain in production at their American plants, although the situation could change in light of…
Suzuki Kizashi To Debut At New York Auto Show With Significant Upgrades
Suzuki is set to reveal two all new cars at the upcoming New York Auto Show and the automaker has announced that one of those vehicles will be an updated Kizashi. With Suzuki stating that the new reveal will bring the “Kizashi to the next level,”, we’re left wondering whether this may be the long…
Japanese Earthquake Could Cause 30 Percent Reduction In Global Car Production
The latest hiccup deriving from Japan’s earthquake may cause global automotive production to fall by as much as 30 percent, as parts suppliers remain crippled by the quake and subsequent tsunami that devastated Japan. “We could lose up to 5 million vehicles in a worst-case scenario,” said Michael Robinet of IHS, in an interview with Bloomberg. “This…
Honda Plants Remain Closed, R&D To Be Rebuilt After Massive Damage
Honda‘s manufacturing plants will remain closed, while the heart of their company, the research & development facility in Tochigi, Japan, will undergo months of repairs after being severely damaged by the earthquake that devastated Japan earlier in March. Honda originally planned to keep their plants closed until March 27th but has decided to extend the closures until…
General Motors Plant In New York Hit By Parts Shortage, Layoffs
General Motors has halted production at their Tonawanda, New York engine plant, due to a parts shortage that has affected another factory in Louisiana. The New York plant builds engines for the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon, which are assembled at the Shreveport, Louisiana plant. While GM has acknowledged that the closure is due to…
Toyota, Honda Shutdowns Continue In Japan, Rivals Have Resumed Production
The March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan has had a devastating effect on its people. Not only have many people lost their homes and loved ones, many companies are out of work as they struggle to get their businesses up and running. Japan’s major car companies have also been badly hit due to…
2012 Nissan GT-R Inventory Safe For U.S. Consumption
Despite being an ultra-niche vehicle, interest in the Nissan GT-R always remains strong, and car enthusiasts have been fretting about whether Japan’s natural disasters have impacted production of the revised GT-R. According to an interview with David Reuter, Nissan Americas vice president of communications, supplies of the GT-R are safe, with roughly 70 percent of…
Dealers Raising Car Prices After Japan Crisis
From the “Entirely Too Predictable” files, the ongoing crisis in Japan has spooked dealers wary of car shortages to raise their prices. Instead of the time-honored car buying traditions of haggling and deep discounts, buyers are paying sticker price on cars that may suffer from delayed shipments from Japan, such as the Toyota Prius, Yaris,…
Mazda To Resume Production March 22nd
Mazda will resume production of vehicles on March 22nd, an encouraging sign for the Japanese auto industry as it battles a catastrophic series of events that has seen most automakers in the country suspend production. With Mazda based in Hiroshima, hundreds of miles away from the earthquake, tsunami and on-going nuclear incidents, the company has…
Chevy Volt May Face Transmission Delays, Due to Japan’s Earthquake
The ongoing crisis in Japan is continuing to impact automakers and the entire industry, even American companies. Japanese suppliers of the Chevrolet Volt’s transmission have been disrupted by the nuclear situation, which has a chance to delay production of the hot-selling electric car. The Japanese plant that builds the high-tech transmission has been shut down…
General Motors Suspends Louisiana Plant Production Until March 21 Due To Japanese Earthquake
General Motors Shreveport, Louisiana factory that builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will face a production halt until March 21st due to supply chain issues stemming from Japan’s natural disasters. GM hasn’t specified which part is causing the stoppage, but both trucks feature a manual transmission made by Japanese firm Aisin. GM apparently has…
Volkswagen and BMW Evacuates Employees From Japan
Japan was recently hit with one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history, and the ordeal is far from over. In light of the current situation, Volkswagen and BMW who have a large operation in Japan, are calling back their foreign employees. 50 or so workers from BMW and a similar number from VW…
Can’t Get A Prius? Consider The Alternatives
Given the current state of gasoline, the Toyota Prius has been hotter than Justin Bieber tickets. Unfortunately, there’s a nationwide shortage of the popular hybrid across the American market: Cars.com lists just 9,014 available. Chalk it up to the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, but the Prius has been selling fast for months now…
Japanese Auto Plants To Face Parts Shortages
Japanese auto makers have been scrambling to assess the impact of the recent natural disasters on their supply chains, as North American production facilities face potential harm, as Japanese factories have begun suspending production in the face of a series of catastrophic events. Toyota has suspended overtime production at their North American facilities, while Subaru…
Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Donate $3.75 Million Each For Earthquake Relief
Japan’s three largest automakers announced that they will donate $3.75 million each for earthquake relief. Honda says it will donate 1,000 power generators (a product made by the company) as well as 5,000 gas canisters, while Nissan is considering the donation of vehicles, provisions and medical supplies. Toyota also said that it is investigating such…
Nissan Delays 2012 GT-R Shipments Due to Earthquake
Given the recent events in Japan, it may not be entirely surprising that there are greater priorities than building fast supercars. As such, shipments of the 2012 Nissan GT-R to America have been delayed as the country struggles to rebuild after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. Nissan North America reports that there is a “sufficient…
Renault Admits Wrongdoing In Spy Case, Executives Exonerated
Renault is admitting that is wrongfully dismissed three executives accused of corporate espionage, saying it has found no evidence to support the allegations made. Carlos Ghosn, Renault’s CEO, met with the three and promised compensation for their erroneous termination. Renault had accused the executives of holding illicit bank accounts in Switzerland and Lichtenstein, but their…
Japanese Automakers Halt Production Amid Natural Disasters
With the recent earthquakes and tsunamis devestating Japan, automakers in the country are announcing a series of plant closures. Toyota, Mazda, Honda and Nissan have all announced plans to close various factories through the middle of March, although the plants could remain shuttered beyond that timeframe. Toyota led the pack by announcing that their plants…
Jeep Grand Cherokee Expected To Boost Chrysler Sales In Japan
The last time the Jeep Grand Cherokee was sold in Japan, only 88 units found homes among Japanese buyers. After a hiatus for 2010, Chrysler is re-introducing the SUV on March 12, and is ambitiously targeting sales of between 500 and 1,000 units. Chrysler sold a high of 15,000 vehicles in 1996, but sold only…
Toyota Recalls 2.17 Million Vehicles For Stuck Accelerator
Anyone who was not comatose in 2009 remembers the Toyota unintended acceleration scandal, which saw millions of Toyota and Lexus products recalled due to what was eventually deemed to be a mismatch between floormats and the accelerator that could cause the pedal to stick. Now, Toyota is recalling a further 2.17 million cars and trucks…
Un-Fit: Honda Recalls 700,000 Fit Models Over Engine Problems
Honda has announced a recall of 700,000 Fits worldwide, with 97,000 in the U.S., for a problem with valvetrain springs, which may break and cause the engine to stall. The recall has caused no injuries so far, yet Honda is taking no chances: the recall covers the Fit, the Freed and the City models across…
Suzuki Swift S-Concept Teased Ahead Of Geneva Auto Show
Suzuki may not have much of a profile in the United States, but their Swift compact hatchback has been a hit with both critics and consumers in other markets, and the Geneva Auto Show will be the platform for Suzuki to launch a thinly veiled “concept” version of the new Swift. With the current Swift regarded as…
2012 Subaru Impreza To Make Appearance At New York Auto Show
With Subaru‘s Impreza compact due for a replacement soon, and a concept shown at the Los Angeles Auto Show this past fall, the debut of the new car is getting ever closer. In fact, a Subaru executive recently confirmed that the target date for the new car is an August, 2011 release. With the date…
Lexus In Danger Of Losing Sales Crown To BMW, Mercedes-Benz
Although Lexus managed to snatch the U.S. luxury car sales crown away from its German rivals for the 11th straight year in 2010, the company is off to a slow start, already being outpaced by BMW and Mercedes-Benz. While Lexus sales are down 17 percent, Mercedes-Benz is up 11 percent and BMW is up by…
