8.9 Earthquake Spares Small Car Manufacturing Plants in Japan

By Jonathan McGrew

Jonathan McGrew

Contributing Writer BIO

Jonathan McGrew has had a steering wheel in his hands since before he could walk. It was inevitable that he would start racing, earning recognition... More

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1,573 views Mar 13, 2011

2011 Mazda Mazda2

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As the full effects of last week’s 8.9-magnitude earthquake are still sinking in there has been questions in the automotive industry as to whether Japanese car manufacturers would be affected. Now there are bound to be some issues especially considering the damage to the nuclear power plant and the devastation to families through Japan. That said, Automotive News had some good news to report from an automotive perspective; on Friday they reported that Mazda, Mitsubishi and Suzuki were “spared” from the “quake’s wrath.”

What this really means is that these companies have been spared from having their manufacturing plants damaged. If you are wondering how, the explanation lies in the location of the plants. These three particular companies have their manufacturing operations on the south end of the Japanese mainland, where as, most of the damage from the quake was sustained to the northern end of the mainland. Does this mean that these automotive companies are clear of any setbacks from the quake? This is probably unlikely as they are still gathering information about the impact to their suppliers and vehicle distribution according to a U.S. spokesperson for the automotive companies.

Bottom line—the 8.9-mangnitude quake had devastating impacts to the people of Japan and our hearts go out to them. The auto industry seems to have been spared from immediate setback from the quake, but it has yet to be seen if there will be on going part or distribution issues as a result of the damage sustained through out Japan.

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