Japanese Carmakers Lose More than 500,000 Vehicles to Earthquake, Toyota hit the Worst

It’s been over a month since the first of a series of earthquakes along with a catastrophic tsunami hit Japan’s shores resulting in devastating destruction and flooding, but the country is still feeling the effects in more ways than one.

According to a news report, Japan’s big seven automakers have lost more than half a million units of output since the March 11 quake. To make matters worse, even though many factories opened recently, they have not yet reached their full production capacity due to a lack of parts.

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Toyota May See Production Diminished by 500,000 Cars because of the Earthquake

The shortage of parts and electricity problems in Japan in the aftermath of the Tohoku earthquake may delay the production of at least 500,000 Toyota vehicles, according to market research company Advanced Research Japan.

The world's largest carmaker may subsequently see its operating profit drop by at least 100 billion yen ($1.2 billion) in the 2010 fiscal year (ending March 31 2011) and up to 200 billion yen in the 2011 fiscal year. Auto analyst Koji Endo says any impact on production destined for export will affect earnings even more. “Hardly any cars will be built in April and a very low level of production will continue from May,” Endo was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.

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2011 Honda Odyssey Receives Second Recall in a Month

Less than two weeks after Honda issued a recall on 33,341 Odysseys from the 2011MY over a potential problem with the windshield wiper linkage rods, the Japanese automaker has announced a second recall for its latest generation minivan. This time Honda said it will voluntarily recall approximately 2,800 Odysseys from the 2011MY because of a problem with the side windows.

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Mazda, Honda Suspend U.S. Orders for Japan-Made Models

Mazda has suspended all US orders for cars built in Japan as the carmaker is preparing to shut down its plants once again after a short reopening period. According to the automaker’s American spokesman Jay Amestoy, the decision will affect shipments of cars that were due to arrive in the U.S. in May. The Mazda official added that it was uncertain when normal activity will resume.

Mazda USA imports almost all its range from the Japan, except the U.S.-built Mazda6 and Tribute. The models produced in Japan are the Mazda2, Mazda3, Mazda5, MX-5 / Miata, RX-8, CX7 and CX9. Mazda halted production at its Hiroshima and Hofu plants from March 14 through March 21, but three days ago, it resumed temporary production using parts it had in its inventory.

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Honda Postpones Launch of Fit Shuttle Due to the Japan Quake

The devastating earthquake and its aftermath in Japan have forced Honda to postpone the market launch of its new Fit Shuttle. The introduction of the car in Japan was scheduled to take place this month. Honda said it has not yet decided on a new release date and that the company will follow up with an announcement with more details soon.

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Lincoln Brand and Porsche 911 Top JD Power's 2011 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study

Ford's luxury division Lincoln moved up one spot in the annual JD Power reliability study to gain the title of most reliable brand sold in the U.S., ahead of Lexus and Jaguar. The industry overall vehicle dependability has also improved compared to 2010, but automakers still have problems with new technologies and features.

The 2011 study takes into account problems experienced in the past 12 months by more than 43,700 original owners of three-year-old cars (2008 model year). JD Power determines the overall dependability by the level of Problems encountered Per 100 vehicles (PP100). A lower score reflects higher quality and the good news is the overall vehicle dependability averaged 151 PP100, the best value since the creation of the study.

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2011 Honda Civic: Fuel Leak Fears Prompts Recall in the USA

A defective fuel pump module is to blame for the latest Honda recall that affects 18,056 Civics from the 2011 model year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], the roll-over valve inside certain fuel pump modules may have been damaged during production and could cause fuel leakage in the event of a roll-over incident. The safety agency said no crashes or injuries have been reported in relation to this defect.

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Honda Reveals Production Version of New Brio City Car in Thailand

Honda today lifted the wraps off the Brio, a small city car designed for emerging Asian markets such as India, China and Thailand. Previewed last year by the Brio concept, Honda’s new model measures 3,610 meters long and 1,680 meters wide, making it 290mm shorter than the Jazz supermini and only 1 centimeter narrower.

The Brio uses a 1.2-liter i-VTEC engine sourced from the Jazz, which delivers 90 horsepower and an average fuel consumption of 5 liters/100 km (47 mpg US), while respecting the Euro 4 emission standards. The engine can be linked to a manual five-speed gearbox or a CVT transmission.

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Mugen Euro Building High-Performance Version of Honda CR-Z Hybrid

One of the biggest problems most see with Honda’s CR-Z hybrid sport hatch is the lack of a performance version. That may change soon enough as Mugen’s European division is readying a “highly-tuned” version of the CR-Z that it claims will deliver “Type R-like” performance. The faster and more powerful CR-Z Mugen prototype is being developed as a joint project between Honda UK and Mugen Euro, and it will make its world debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July.

“This will be one quick hybrid,” said Martin Moll, Head of Marketing for Honda UK. “With more torque, more power and MUGEN’s experience of working with Honda cars, we’re expecting great things. It promises to show how hybrid cars can be even more exciting to drive.”

Honda said that the CR-Z MUGEN prototype will feature modifications to both the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system to boost power and torque, adding that these changes may also result in greater mpg and lower CO2 emissions during some conditions. Final power, torque and fuel economy figures are not yet known.

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