Honda unsure when Japan output will resume

Japan's Honda Motor Co has warned US dealers that it is not sure if it will be able to resume full production at certain Japanese plants before May, a US newspaper reported, citing a memo distributed by the automaker.

Japanese car manufacturers including Honda, Toyota Motor Co and Nissan Motor Co are struggling to restart production amid a shortage of parts and workers in wake of last week's earthquake and tsunami.

Honda spokesman Hajime Kaneko said that its US business arm Honda America had distributed a memo to US dealers that it planned to review each dealers' product allotments for vehicles to be built after May.

But Kaneko said the automaker has not stopped taking orders, and denied the paper report that said the company would stop taking orders for several models made in Japan, including the Honda Fit, a sub compact; the Civic hybrid; the Insight hybrid, and the Acura TSX, TSX Wagons and Acura RL.

The CR-V sport-utility vehicles that Honda makes in Japan. are also affected, the report said. Most of Honda's CR-Vs are made in North America.

"While we plan to resume automobile production in Japan as quickly as possible, we cannot say with certainty when those production plants will return to their full capacity," John Mendel, the executive vice president of American Honda, said in an e-mail to US dealers that was reviewed by the newspaper.

The car maker is expected to give an update on production later on Friday.