BERLIN (AP) — BMW AG says it will suspend production for two days at three plants in Germany because of the effects of a ban on flights in much of Europe.
BMW spokesman Mathias Schmidt said production would be halted Wednesday and Thursday at plants in Dingolfing, Regensburg and Munich, and that Tuesday's late shift at Dingolfing also is off.
Schmidt said that some 7,000 vehicles would be affected, but that management is in talks with the employee council to ensure that "this delayed production is made up for as soon as possible."
He said the automaker doesn't expect any losses and will try to ensure that car deliveries to customers aren't delayed.
Schmidt said the flight ban over recent days affected deliveries of electronic components in particular.
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TOKYO (AP) — Nissan Motor Co. said Tuesday it will suspend vehicle production at two factories in Japan after a parts shipment was halted by volcanic ash disrupting international flights.
Nissan's production at a line at its Oppama plant near Tokyo and two lines at its Kyushu factory in southern Japan will stop all day Wednesday because the planned shipment of tire pressure censors from Ireland has not arrived, company spokeswoman Sachi Inagaki said.
Nissan is the first known major Japanese manufacturer to be affected by drifting ash from the Icelandic volcano which has grounded flights for five days, crippling European air travel and cargo shipments. Only limited flights were allowed to resume Tuesday.
The components, installed on the back of a tire valve cap, are used in three models for the North American Market — the Cube compact made at the Oppama plant, and the Murano and Rogue crossover SUV models produced at the Kyushu plant.
The suspension would affect nearly 2,000 vehicles, including the three models and eight other models that are produced on the same production lines, Inagaki said.
Production plans from Thursday on have not been determined, she said.
