500,000 Less Cars Produced in Japan Due to Tsunami

Since March 11, in Tokyo, a production number of more than 500,000 vehicles has vanished from the face of the Earth due to the tsunami. This led to disaster in the country’s manufacturing sector, as seven of the top Japanese automakers were heavily affected by the events in the country.

Up until this point, the total number of lost units is 516,000, but that figure increases by the minute. Many factories could not restart their production due to lack of parts, while the factories that resumed work are operating at their lowest level.

In a list of manufactures that lost the highest number of vehicles, Toyota is by far the leader, with 260,000 units lost. The company has 18 factories in Japan and only two have been reopened since the tsunami hit the country. Those two are producing three hybrid models and it is unlikely that Toyota will manage to open more plants this month.

On the second spot in the list we find Honda, with a total loss of 58,000 units. The company has only two factories in Japan and managed to open both of them, but the production rate is half of what should normally be.

Nissan is next with 55,000 units lost, but the Japanese automaker reopened this month all its five Japanese factories. The number of lost vehicles from Nissan does not include the ones lost due to operating at half pace. The carmaker refused to make official the figure featuring the total number of lost units.

On March 31, Suzuki registered 45,000 units lost, but until April 9 that figure rose up to 59,000 units. Furthermore, Mazda lost 43,000 vehicles, while Subaru recorded 29,000 lost vehicles by April 5. The first to resume production at its three Japanese factories was Mitsubishi, who registered 26,000 units.