All About Japan Autos

The disaster in Japan has hit automakers hard, and resuming normal production for Toyota may take at least six more months. “After an in-depth analysis of its suppliers affected by the earthquake and tsunami, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced today that global production will begin to ramp up as soon as July in Japan and August in North America, with all models back to normal production by November or December 2011,” says Toyota in a press release.

However, this timeline won’t necessarily apply to all vehicles. “In Japan, depending on the model, operations will start returning to normal in July,” writes the Detroit News. “Outside Japan, Toyota expects the normalization of its operations to start in August and be fully restored around November or December. The one-month lag takes account of the time it takes to ship parts from Japan to plants abroad.”

If you own a Toyota the low production volume won’t affect your ability to get replacement parts. Toyota reports that “there are approximately 150 parts affecting new-vehicle production, mainly electronic, rubber and paint-related. However, replacement parts for sales service and repair are available.”

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