(March 21, 2011) TOKYO — Nissan Motor Co. said Sunday that it will start parts production and vehicle assembly operations this week in Japan, becoming the first car maker to restart its entire auto production process after a devastating quake brought the country's auto industry to a standstill.

Nissan, Japan's second biggest car maker by volume, said it will resume production of parts at six factories in Japan on Monday (today) and will also begin assembling vehicles at five of the six factories starting Thursday using parts expected to be procured by then.

Nissan may not be able to run its production lines at full capacity when it restarts operations at the plants, a Nissan spokesman said. Another disruption may occur as rolling blackouts are continuing in the greater Tokyo area and the radiation leakage from Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, about 200 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, has yet to be settled, while some gasoline stations remain closed.


Source: The Wall Street Journal