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N. American automakers operating, except in Canada

By Michael Ellis

DETROIT, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Automakers resumed production on Monday at most North American plants hit by last week's power outage, but several facilities in Canada were crippled by efforts there to conserve energy.

Detroit's Big Three automakers had more than 50 plants hit by the worst blackout in North American history, which struck much of the Great Lakes region on Thursday afternoon. Honda Motor Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. plants in the Canadian province of Ontario were also impacted by the power outage.

The U.S. automakers had suffered by an excess inventory of unsold vehicles in recent months, but most said they hoped to make up the lost production.

"Our target is to make it by the end of the quarter," General Motors Corp. spokesman Pat Morrissey said.

GM said that all its U.S. plants were back up and running on Monday. During the blackout, 17 of its 60 North American facilities were down at one point.

Seven of GM's nine facilities in Ontario cut back operations to comply with the province's request to save power, GM spokesman Stew Low said. GM's highly profitable full-size pickup truck plant in Oshawa resumed work at full production, as did a components plant in St. Catharines.

GM's joint venture plant with Suzuki Motor Corp. was already temporarily closed last week and this week for a previously scheduled shutdown to cut back on inventories of unsold vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. , the world's second largest automaker, said on Monday that all of its U.S. plants except a small parts plant in Woodhaven, Michigan, were running.

In Canada, Ford shuttered its Canadian headquarters and cut the day production shift at its Oakville, Ontario, plant which makes minivans.

Ford's Woodhaven plant, which employs less than 100 workers and makes engine components, suffered some damage due to a power surge, but was expected to resume production on Tuesday, Ford spokesman Ed Lewis said.

Lewis said Ford expects to recover lost production from the blackout by the end of the year.

DaimlerChrysler AG said its assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, would not operate and its casting plant in Toronto would operate at 50 percent capacity.

Both Toyota and Honda cut production in Ontario, Canada. Their U.S. operations were unaffected by the blackout.

Toyota stopped assembly of its Lexus RX 330 sport utility vehicles at its Cambridge plant, according to a statement. At Honda's plants in Aliston, the Japanese automaker cut production of its Civic small car and its Acura EL (a model sold in Canada), but continued to produce its highly profitable Acura MDX and Honda Pilot sport utility vehicles and its Honda Odyssey minivan.