Honda Taiwan to Restart Production in Mid-Feb.

Taipei, Feb. 6, 2012 (CENS)--Honda Taiwan Motor Co., the fully-owned local subsidiary of Honda Japan, recently said it will restart automobile production in mid-February and gradually normalize production by March, after extended production suspension due to the floods in Thailand had cut auto-parts supply.

The long-term No. 4 car brand in Taiwan, Honda Taiwan's production in 2011 was derailed by the devastating earthquake in Japan and floods in Thailand, both of which severed the parts supply chain from normal operation.

In the first month of 2012, Honda Taiwan only delivered few hundred new cars compared to about 14,000 Toyotas and about 6,000 Nissans. Industry sources say Honda Taiwan faces many challenges to retain its No. 4 position this year.

Some insiders say that some 40,000 new cars were sold in January in Taiwan, an obvious decline from some 53,500 units sold in the same period of 2011, showing a downtrend in new-car sales on the island.