Japan Auto Production Plunges after Quake, Tsunami

VOA Breaking News (Voice of America)
April 25, 2011 at 6:55 am UTC

Japan's leading car makers — Toyota, Honda and Nissan — reported Monday that domestic production plunged year-on-year in March after a massive earthquake and tsunami hit the country.

Toyota, the world's largest automaker, said production dropped 62.7 percent.

Honda Motor Company reported that domestic production dropped 62.9 percent, while worldwide total production was down 19.2 percent.

Meanwhile, Nissan Motor's Japan production plunged 52.4 percent compared to the previous March.

The March 11 twin disasters damaged production facilities, caused power shortages and disrupted the parts supply chain in Japan and world-wide.