Japanese automakers may lose 193,000 vehicle sales in the U.S. this year because of parts shortages

parts_shortages.jpg
Toyota, Honda and other Japanese automakers may lose as many as 193,000 vehicle sales in the United States to competitors this year because of parts shortages. If full output in Japan doesn’t resume until the fourth quarter, disruptions from the quake may boost the number of all automakers’ U.S. sales that are up for grabs to 328,000. The biggest beneficiaries of the disruptions will be GM, Ford, Chrysler and Hyundai., South Korea’s largest automaker. Industry wide, U.S. automobile sales may rise to 13.2 million in 2011, which includes a 200,000-unit reduction as a result of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.