Japanese industry continues to struggle
April production figures from JAMA show 60 per cent slump in output for the monthThe Japanese automotive industry is still grappling with the loss of production capacity in the wake of the earthquake and tsunami three months ago.
New production figures for the month of April from Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA) reveal that the industry output for passenger cars fell to 249,772 units –377,584 units fewer than the April 2010 figure. That amounts to a 60.2 per cent difference, 12 months apart.
Passenger cars account for the lion's share of automotive production in Japan (excluding motorcycles), but production has fallen for trucks and buses as well. In total, non-motorcycle production during April was just 292,001 units — a far cry from 731,829 vehicles built in April 2010. The percentage difference there is 60.1.
Production of passenger cars displacing over two litres was worst affected by the natural disasters. 148,097 units built during April represented a 60.6 per cent shortfall against April production in 2010 — 227,561 fewer cars.
Small cars, ranging in capacity from 660cc up to two litres, contributed 52,276 units during the month. 98,960 fewer than April 2010, the output represented a 65.4 per cent difference, year on year.
In percentage terms, production of 'kei' cars (under 660cc), was not disrupted as badly by the natural disasters as the other two categories of passenger cars. The difference, year on year, was a 50.8 per cent drop (or 51,027 units fewer) for a total of 49,399 vehicles built for the month.
As a nation as dependent on foreign trade as Japan, the disasters have been a major hurdle for the country's automotive industry. Exports have plummeted by 67.8 per cent. Production scheduled for export markets in April peaked at 126,061 units, 391,504 fewer than the same month last year.
The figures seem worse than those JAMA issued for March, because the tsunami struck on March 13 — nearly two weeks of full production into the month. April, by contrast, was a full month of disrupted production as the country's industry worked to regain its feet.
Picture courtesy of US Navy, via Wikimedia Commons
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