If you thought the risk of buying a flood car after Hurricane Katrina was serious, imagine having your health threatened just from being near the car. That’s exactly what’s been happening in Japan, where unsuspecting consumers are being sold dangerously radioactive cars that belonged to people living in Fukushima and the surrounding area after the earthquake and tsunami that destroyed the prefecture’s nuclear power plant in March.

According to harbor authorities, 660 cars have been banned thus far for export because of unsafe radion levels. Rather than destroy the hazardous merchandise, some Japanese car dealers are simply swapping license plates to cover their stock’s origin according to The Asahi Shimbun newspaper.

One re-registered van was found to be emitting 110 microsieverts of radiation an hour— for perspective, the national limit for export to other countries is is 0.3 microsieverts an hour.

An unnamed dealer from the western city of Osaka bought the notorious vehicle at auction and decided to sell it despite the risk because he said he couldn’t afford to take the loss.

“I decontaminated repeatedly after the test and retested the filter of the air conditioner, the wipers and tires, replacing them thoroughly, but the radiation level dropped only to 30 microsieverts per hour,” he said.

[Source: FoxNews.com Autos]

Japan’s wealthy elite brought out their wallets this past weekend for a more than worthy cause; rebuilding the country they call home. At an event hosted by Ferrari Chairman Luca di Montezemolo and attended by Italian ambassador Vincenzo Petrone and Japanese Minister of Industry Banri Kaieda, a total of $724,000 was raised to help the disaster relief efforts in Japan.

With numerous items up for bidding at the auction, the big ticket item was the first Ferrari FF to be sold in the country, which went to Tokyo architect Masaharu Seno.

Held in the city of Ishinomaki, and attended by its mayor, the proceeds from the auction will be used to held build a new school for the children in the devastated city.

Yu Muroga was driving along peacefully in Japan when the earthquake and tsunami hit. We’re not quite sure why he had a HD camera running on the dashboard, but we’re certainly amazed by the footage it captured.

Even though the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan needs no real introduction, very few videos have surfaced that showed the incident from this point-of-view. In fact, watching the video is a pretty surreal experience, something you’d expect out of a Hollywood blockbuster.

It starts off with an unsuspecting in-car point-of-view as the earthquake rocks the earth. It’s worth mentioning that the footage probably didn’t capture the huge one, but rather one of the aftershocks before the actual tsunami came. As the car pushed on to wherever it was trying to head to, the tsunami hits and flooding occurs. From there it’s heartbreaking to see people getting stuck in their cars or climbing to the roofs of their cars seeking refuge from the oncoming flood. It’s really something else to see cars floating around in a sea of water helplessly and how devastating the events were in Japan over three months ago.

Check out the video after the break. Continue Reading…

North American Honda production will return to normal in August, earlier than expected, the company announced in a statement today.

The Japanese automaker has accelerated their recovery following the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Every Honda model will resume regualar production in August, except the 2012 Civic. The company expects full production of the Civic to resume in the fall.

When the supply of parts from Japan improves, production will ramp up on a step-by-step, plant-by-plant, and model-by-model basis. Models including the 4-cylinder Accord, CR-V and Acura RDX, as well as all V-6 models including the Accord, Accord Crosstour, Odyssey, Pilot, Ridgeline, and the Acura TL, MDX and ZDX will return to 100 percent production.

“The light at the end of the tunnel is glowing brighter for us, represented by this significant improvement in our production situation,” said John Mendel, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. “Throughout this crisis, Honda has been fighting to achieve a speedy recovery, while maintaining a focus on our longer-term plans for continued growth in sales and production in order to meet the growing needs of our customers.”

Honda, which employs 13,400 in Ohio, said in a statement that it has managed to avoid any layoffs in any of its 14 plants in North America during the parts shortage.

[Source: Honda Press/ Columbus Dispatch]

The Earthquake disaster in Japan may prompt European car makers to seek suppliers closer to them, the chief of Europe’s automobile association said.

Ivan Hodac, secretary general of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, said that some car makers are still being affected by the disaster that caused several Japanese auto manufacturers to suspend operations. Hodac also stated this disaster affected many automakers outside of Japan.

Hodac also added that European auto makers want suppliers to be much closer, ostensibly to prevent any future production disruptions. The issue of a possible free trade agreement between the European Union and Japan, Hodac expressed fears that such it would provide a “one-sided advantage” for Japan. Hodac would prefer an agreement based on a level playing field instead.

[Source: Just Autos]

If there’s anything Toyota execs can be happy about for the most recent quarter, it’s that for them it’s Q4, marking an end to what has been a troubling 12 months for the Japanese auto giant. Just released data shows Toyota Q4 profit fell off a cliff, dropping 77 percent to “just” $314 million. The decline comes as sales dropped 12 percent as a result of the recent earthquake and tsunami shuttered factories and disrupted parts supplies.

And yet as bad as things seem, Toyota isn’t tuning into a pre-bankruptcy General Motors – not yet anyway. New income for the fiscal year was actually up 95 percent, as sales increased, even if just by 0.2 percent. Operating profit tripled, despite the strong yen which is hurting overseas profits.

Low Q4 sales due to reduced output proved to be the largest factor affecting the slight increase, with sales for the quarter down 12 percent.

Year-end numbers have yet to be released, but Bloomberg estimates a 311 billion yet net income for the year, or just under $4 billion U.S. Toyota has said it will not issue an earnings forecast for the next fiscal year.

Toyota is working to restore output and is currently at 70 percent of pre-quake capacity.

With global sales of 8.4 million units last year, some estimates put total 2011 production at around 6.5 million units. Recently company execs admitted that Toyota will likely give up its spot as the world’s largest automaker, with General Motors set to reclaim the lead. If sales are limited to 6.5 million, Toyota could slip to third behind Volkswagen.

[Source: Bloomberg]

To help Japan recover from the recent earthquake and tsunami many foreign companies have donated to relief charities. Aston Martin is the latest to contribute. It’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ulrich Bez is giving up his personal Rapide super-sedan at the Bonhams Auction at Newport Pagnell, with all proceeds going to Japan.

He said; “Nobody could have failed to be moved by the recent events in Japan and we at Aston Martin are no exception. After many years presence in the market and closer ties being forged with the Japanese automotive business in recent projects, we have many friends in the region and we wanted to do something to help. The Bonhams Aston Martin Auction seems the perfect platform to encourage the extended Aston Martin family to support this cause, so we have decided to auction my Rapide which I have used in my role as Chief Executive to represent Aston Martin at numerous events in both UK and Europe. I hope this superb car will raise a substantial amount to help make a difference.”

This well appointed, V12 luxury car will hit the auction stage on May 21. The new owner will get a great car and help a great cause at the same time.

Click here to read AutoGuide’s Aston Martin Rapide review

Toyota Canada has cut its sales projections by a third and warned dealers that the supply of new vehicles is starting to be choked off as the company feels the effects of the March 11th earthquake that rocked northern Japan.

While Toyota sent two memos to dealers regarding the revised sales forecast, the company refused to comment on the matter. “We have the availability to meet customer needs during our busiest retail period,” Toyota spokesperson Sandy DiFelice told The Globe and Mail. “We put out targets all the time. The dealers use those as a guide and work to exceed them.”

Summer is a busy season for the Canadian auto industry, with  May and June typically the busiest months for auto sales. Toyota products are especially popular in Canada, where gas prices are higher than the United States, and the company’s extensive lineup of hybrids and fuel efficient vehicles are well received.

Toyota is also said to be offering dealers financial help to assist them through the anticipated lean periods, allowing them to get funding for vehicle incentives, marketing campagins and lease extensions for existing customers. Toyota will also allow dealers to suspend payments if they hold mortgages with the company’s financial arm, and will offer favorable interest rates to finance the purchase of new and used vehicles for the dealership.

[Source: The Globe and Mail]

Honda will delay the launch of their next generation CR-V crossover due to continued production delays, and supplies of their 2012 Civic will also be delayed as Honda’s North American production continues to run at well below capacity amid the after effects of Japan’s natural disasters.

In a letter to Honda’s dealers, U.S. executive vice-president John Mendel said “Recovery from this crisis is difficult and constantly evolving, most notably the challenge of obtaining a few key components required to maintain production at appropriate levels. Overall production volume will be at significantly reduced levels as we continue production adjustments through the summer months.”

Honda expects full production to resume much later in the year, with the CR-V being produced at Honda’s Canadian plant in addition to its East Liberty, Ohio facility. Acura‘s MDX and RDX will also be shifted to other plants in Alabama and Ohio, but the company says that the shifts are unrelated to problems related to their parts supply.

[Source: Bloomberg]