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.

Toyota said it lost 140,000 units of production from March 14 to March 26, when it closed all 18 plants in Japan due to a shortage of electronic parts, rubber and plastics. The carmaker resumed building three models at two factories on March 24, with the company giving priority to hybrid vehicles, including the Prius best-seller. Toyota was able to resume hybrid production using remaining inventory and parts from suppliers who have recovered.

Starting this summer, Japanese manufacturers will see their power supply cut by around 15 percent, as the earthquake knocked out generators, with production to be further affected. Toyota built 3.28 million cars in Japan in 2010.

The other two major Japanese carmakers also admitted production delays, with Nissan saying it couldn't build 55,000 units this month, while Honda estimated a loss of 46,600 units between March 14 and April 3.

By Dan Mihalascu

Source: Bloomberg

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Find of the Day: Infiniti G35 Dressed Up as a Nissan GT-R

Usually, it’s Nissan owners that want to upgrade to a model from sister company Infiniti, but in this case, it’s the other way around. Found for sale in Quebec by Carscoop reader Caroline is this Nissan GT-R wannabe based on the Infiniti G35 Coupe. From what we can tell, the owner’s budget dried out after he or she finished the front end that now resembled the R35 with a bespoke grille and front bumper assembly.

In the very rare case someone is interested, the Infiniti G35 Coupe is a 2004 model equipped with an automatic transmission that has 120,000 kilometers or about 75,000 miles on the odo. The asking price is $18,999 CAD (approximately US$19,600) with the seller noting that it is negotiable.

Merci for the tip Caroline!

Link: Lepac

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VIDEO: 2012MY Nissan GT-R Trims Nurburgring Lap Time to 7:24.22, Plus Split-Screen with ZR1

At last November’s LA Auto Show, Nissan lifted the sheets off the revised GT-R that recently went on sale as a 2012MY in North America and as a 2011MY in the rest of the world. Key changes over the previous model include a 45HP bump in output to 530HP, plus a series of aero and chassis tweaks.

For those of you wondering how these modifications affected the GT-R’s performance on the notorious Nordschleife, Nissan’s team managed to shave more than two seconds off the 2011MYs time of 7:26.4, dropping it to 7:24.22, allegedly in less than ideal conditions. You’ll have to skip to about 3:20 into the clip for the driving to begin.

We also found a edited film on Youtube that compares the 2012 GT-R and Corvette ZR-1 on the 'Ring in a split format, which was created by synchronizing the two videos at the pit exit. Watch both videos after the jump.

On a side note, if any of our Japanese readers could help us with the translation in the first clip, we’d appreciate it.

VIDEO

Ford Sues Nissan Over Brazilian TV Ad that Ridicules the Focus for Being Overpriced [with Video]

Ford’s Brazilian arm has filed a criminal (!) lawsuit against the local division of Nissan for airing an aggressive TV commercial directed at the Focus sub-compact. To make a long story short, the parody-like ad points the finger at Ford for allegedly overpricing its Focus model.

The TV spot, which looks exactly like a rap video, shows two men dressed as Ford engineers living the big life with gold chains and rings, plenty of champagnes, and –the best part- an exotic assortment of sexy women in bikinis dancing around them. And oh, there’s also a silver Ford Focus on the background….

At the end, the commercial announces the price of Nissan’s Tiida sub-compact (sold as the Versa in the States), which in Brazil, costs around BR 3,000 or a little over US$1,800 less than Ford’s rivaling Focus.

Translated from Portuguese, the lyrics say something along the lines of "all the luxury that I got, I got it with your money," and "don't weep because you're paying extra money -- your money was well spent, look what I do with it."

According to Reuters, Nissan was forced to pull out the ad from TV on March 3 after Ford obtained an injunction. However, being that we live in the age of networking, the ad quickly spread all over the internet.

Watch the video below and tell us what you think about Ford’s decision to sue Nissan in the comments section.

Via: Reuters

VIDEO

Infiniti to Enter Australia’s Luxury Car Market in 2012 with FX, G37 and M Models

Infiniti continues to expand its reach around the world and has now confirmed plans to begin sales of its range of sedans, coupes and crossovers in Australia from the third quarter of 2012. The introduction in Australia follows the presentation of the premium brand in the UK, Western Europe and select Asia Pacific markets.

The Japanese company said it will create Infiniti Centres in each of the three major east coast capitals of the country in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. The initial lineup will include the FX sport crossover, G37 hardtop convertible and coupe, and the M luxury sedan.

"As part of Infiniti's worldwide expansion, Australia is a mandatory next step for the luxury brand," said Dan Thompson CEO, Infiniti Cars Australia. "In a little more than a year, the promise of luxury vehicles with a unique combination of inspired performance, attentive hospitality and unparalleled quality will become a reality for the Australian market.”

Kevin Snell, the Japanese firm’s newly appointed General Manager, believes Infiniti will act as a “clear alternative to the traditional premium makes” adding that the brand will target a younger buyer demographic aged between 30 and 40 years.

‘Infiniti customers are ‘‘quiet rebels’’. They’re rebellious of the mainstream and are typically looking for something different,’’ says Snell.

‘‘They’re more of an individualist-type customer who are passionate about design and technology. They are early adopters and risk-takers and don’t like traditional conversative status and want to stand out from the crowd. They might even be tired of an Audi, BMW or Mercedes their neighbour drives’’.

Nissan founded Infiniti in 1989, around the same time as Japanese rivals Toyota and Honda created their own premium divisions, Lexus and Acura respectively. Following its launch in the United States and then Canada, the brand has since expanded to Europe as well as China, Korea, Taiwan and parts of the Middle East. Currently, Infiniti has 340 dealers worldwide with the company forecasting more than 165,000 sales in the 2011 Financial Year.

Hat tip to Matt!

Source: Infiniti via Drive

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