BRIEFS

Honda adds a week

UNITED STATES (AP):Honda Motor Company said it will add a week to production slowdowns at its 11 North American auto plants.

The company said in late March that it would shut down assembly lines for several hours a day because of parts shortages from Japan.

Now Honda said the temporary shutdowns will be extended to the week of April 18. It also expects disruptions after that.

Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami damaged factories that make key auto parts.

Toyota wins first acceleration case

United States (AP):A federal jury found recently that Toyota Motor Corp isn't responsible for a 2005 crash that the driver blamed on the floor mat or the electronic throttle, in the first case to go to trial since the automaker recalled millions of its vehicles.

After 45 minutes of deliberation, the jury found Toyota wasn't liable for product liability for the Scion's floor mat or for the absence of a system that allows the brake to override the accelerator when both are pressed.

The car's driver, 59-year-old Long Island physician Amir Sitafalwala, contended that defects in the electronic throttle system or the floor mats caused him to suddenly accelerate and crash into a tree. United States (US) Magistrate Judge E. Thomas Boyle ruled out evidence about the car's electronics earlier that week.

Sitafalwala's 2008 lawsuit was the first to go to trial since Toyota recalled millions of vehicles beginning in 2009.

In a written statement, Toyota called the verdict an "early indicator of the strength of the legal theories behind unintended acceleration claims" against it.

Toyota to resume output

JAPAN (AP):Toyota Motor Corp said last Friday it will resume car production at all its plants in Japan at half capacity from April 18 to 27.

The move follows the March earthquake and tsunami that forced it to halt manufacturing due to shortages of parts and power.

Toyota, the world's No. 1 automaker, said production at its 18 plants will then halt from April 28 to May 9, a period that includes Golden Week holidays when factories would normally close.

Toyota said the parts shortage has been gradually improving but it is still struggling to get around 150 types of parts. Toyota previously said there were shortages of about 500 types of components. The automaker has suffered a production loss of 260,000 cars from March 14 through to April 8.