business

As Japan shutdowns drag on, auto crisis worsens

15 Comments

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New Cars Crisis,don't think so. Carmakers outside japan still will make millions of cars.

They will make more cars,due to Japan's motor industry woes ,energy woes and quake woes in 2011.

Japan Research& Development section of motor industry,should research more to plan new cars.

Their non factory jobs of motor industry in japan,should have more activities.

Factories will get back on their feet in coming months, R&D of japan motor industry,should innovate more to capture market ,in future fine cars.

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correction..The non factory jobs of motor industry in japan,should have more activities.

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Is it just me, or does it seem like they are just being lazy and uncreative in the face of this "crisis"?

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It's only been ten business days since the quake. Give it some time.

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"As a result, Ford is telling dealers to stop ordering “tuxedo black” ... Chrysler told dealers it was temporarily restricting orders of vehicles in 10 colors. “We don’t want to have to tell customers, `You’ve got to pick another color.’”

I guess that's what happens when you rely upon outsourcing - you are at the mercy of those countries' economies, and politics.

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Buy American, or German.

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Are they being lazy and uncreative. Uncreative. Which is business as usual.

The counter argument to nuclear power opponents has always been, "What are you going to do if you shut down the nuclear plants?" Well, nature and TEPCO stupidity has done just that in Fukushima. Now Japan has to become creative and start considering how to carry on without the Fukushima nuclear facility. If they can do that, then maybe we will be on the way to ridding ourselves of nuclear power generation.

My late friend, Miyamoto Masao, wrote in Straitjacket Society that the bureaucrats he worked with were intelligent but hamstrung by precedents. One day he shredded years of old reports related to a project his team was working on and told his colleagues that there were no precedents and they'd have to use their imaginations. They did and came up with brilliant ideas. What Miyamoto said about bureaucrats I believe is symptomatic Japanese leadership--and not just Japanese leadership but leadership in general. It is happening now in regard to this crisis.

Clearly, this is a time to minimize the use of energy. It is past time for Japan to examine how it wastes energy. It is also past time for Japan to consider developing alternative energy sources. Yes, it's going to be difficult. But it has to be be done.

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How ironic that of all the colours Ford might not be able to offer would be black, given the story about the Model T.

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Even if you think automakers and suppliers could fix the problems fast, Japanese automakers have a stake in most of their suppliers.

Rather than cut and run for a fast replacement, they'd rather tough it out and keep the status quo.

Cutting and running is probably unrealistic anyway, considering the months or years required for supplier development, tooling investment, sub-supplier contracts, pre-production trials, quality control before mass production launch, etc. Not to mention probably having to pay shortfall damages and cover unamortized investments of the "cancelled" supplier.

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Well said, Jean.

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There are too many cars on Japan's roads anyway.

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Thank you ThonTaddeo !!

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Given the seriousness of the disaster I don't much care about what color cars are available. The dealers (stealers) are already increasing prices because of the "shortage." May as well send a car payment to disaster relief instead.

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It was a catastrophe, but I would like it to be a good living lesson. Japanese automotibe makers are operationg globally, on the other hand they are reling on home country. I think of course it makes sense, however, they have to consider how to diversify risk. Now a lot of companies chose a single soursing to reduce the purchesing cost, it may be getting worse and worse when a desaster happens.

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If a limit on car colors is the only "fallout" from this, then there is no crisis.

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