TOKYO, March 14 (UPI) -- Toyota Motor Corp. and other Japanese automakers announced suspension of operations Monday in the aftermath of Friday's massive earthquake.
Toyota said all of its Japanese factories would be closed until Wednesday. Honda Motor Corp., the nation's second-largest automaker, said it would close down production for a week, the Financial Times reported.
Automakers are assessing damage at their own facilities, but also at supplier firms that feed their factories with parts.
Nissan said three plants south of Tokyo would be closed Monday and Tuesday. Two factories north of the city would be shuttered until Friday, the firm said.
Automakers also pledged support for the general cleanup efforts, the Times said.
Mitsubishi said its plants would continue to run in the Aichi, Gifu and Okayama prefectures.
Auto shipments would likely not suffer in the short term, as companies have stocks on hand. Toyota also has production facilities on other continents, including Europe, where the Auris compact and Avensis are produced, but some of these cars rely on parts from Japan.
The hybrid Prius, however, is made in Japan, as is the iQ and the RAV4 small sport utility vehicle.
Beyond that, "Once they have production up and running, they could potentially have port issues," said Jeff Schuster, JD Power executive director of automotive forecasting.
"We are still a few days away from knowing what the full impact on the auto industry might be," he said.
