Automakers in Japan can't make contact with some parts makers in the quake zone three days after Friday's disaster, and export shipments are interrupted by tsunami damage to the nation's ports. That
means U.S. production may be affected if automakers can't get parts from Japan. Mitsubishi Motors Corp. will stop production at all its factories through Tuesday. Besides Honda, Toyota and Nissan,
Suzuki, Mazda and Subaru say shutdowns initially planned only for Monday would be extended to later in the week.
Honda has 113 suppliers in the quake zone and still can't get in touch
with 44 of them. Mazda's shutdown affects every model it sells in the Untied States, except the Mazda6 sedan, which is made in Michigan. Subaru's actions affect U.S. exports of the Forester and
Impreza.
Says one analyst at J.P. Morgan Securities in Tokyo, "Overseas production could be affected as well if shutdowns become prolonged, as core components such as engines and
transmissions are supplied to overseas vehicle factories from Japan ... given the 20,000 to 30,000 parts that go into making an automobile, and the difficulty of procuring even basic materials, we do
not foresee a return to normal production schedules anytime soon."
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