Toyota, Nissan to resume output at all domestic plants from mid-April

TOKYO, April 8 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. and Nissan Motor Co. said Friday they will resume production at all domestic plants in mid-April in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern and eastern Japan.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda told reporters in Nagoya that all of the automaker's domestic plants will restart manufacturing from April 18 to meet requests by dealers in quake-hit areas for the early resumption of full-scale production.
Nissan also said in a press release that it will resume normal operations at all domestic plants based on delivery of parts from its suppliers, beginning with two vehicle production plants in Kanagawa Prefecture on Monday.
Honda Motor Co. also plans to resume output of finished vehicles on Monday at its plants in Saitama and Mie prefectures.
''We are making efforts to resume full-fledged production in two to three months,'' Honda President Takanobu Ito said at a news conference at the company's quake-hit automobile research center in Tochigi Prefecture.
The three automakers said levels of production will be about 50 percent of normal operations or initially planned output volume for the time being due to ongoing difficulties in parts procurement.
''Basically, we hope (our business partners) rebuild, but we may use (products) of other companies to cope with risk,'' Honda's Ito said.
Toyota resumed production of three models including the Prius gasoline-electric hybrid at two plants on March 28, but production of Toyota vehicles is still under suspension at 15 plants in Japan after the company halted production at all domestic plants on March 14.
As for Nissan, the automaker said its two plants in Fukuoka Prefecture will resume vehicle production on Wednesday and a plant in Tochigi Prefecture will restart operations on April 18.