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Japanese Carmakers Could Stop Some American Assembly Lines

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Production team member Jeff Brangers works on the under carriage of a Toyota Solara convertible on the assembly line at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown, Ky., in 2008. (AP)
Production team member Jeff Brangers works on the under carriage of a Toyota Solara convertible on the assembly line at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky plant in Georgetown, Ky., in 2008. (AP)

Toyota and Nissan are now warning that they expect to temporarily halt vehicle production in the U.S. and Canada following Japan's earthquake. Most Japanese cars sold in the U.S. are also assembled in American factories. But delays in production of auto parts in Japan means American plants don't have some of the plastic, rubber and electronic parts they need.

Toyota, Nissan and Honda have also been unable to resume production of cars in Japan. And Toyota now says it will postpone releasing a wagon version of the Prius hybrid. We speak with Bloomberg News reporter Alan Ohnsman.

This segment aired on March 24, 2011.

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