Nissan Lost 2,300 Brand New Cars to Tsunami

Four days after a major earthquake struck Japan, the automakers affected have begun adding the numbers and reporting their losses. Throughout the weekend, we've all seen images of entire fields of cars being washed away or getting engulfed by fire as they sat, lined up, to get on board freight cargos to their destination.

Of those countless cars destroyed, 2,300 were Nissan and Infiniti models, reported today the Japanese auto maker, one of the most affected by the quake. Financially, the loss which is yet to be announced, is huge, as among the cars destroyed were 1,300 Infiniti M, Infiniti FX and Infiniti MX, as well as 1,000 Nissan cars, an undisclosed number of which being 370Z models.

All models were awaiting to be loaded and shipped to the US. The effects in terms of delivery delays the tsunami will have on the American customers who where waiting for the cars is yet to be assessed.

As a whole, the automotive industry, one of the most potent in Japan, will take a severe hit in between Friday, the day the quake took place, and the time when all will be back to normal. Japan is responsible not only for the production of cars and parts for the local market, but for other countries as well.

Some analysts say that the industry, still fresh free of the claws of the economic crisis, will be set back $10 billion in the mid-term. The losses, probaly bigger than that, will come from closed factories, destroyed assets, delayed shipping and parts shortages.