Robust Q2 Production Slated

Assembly plant workers will find themselves moving a little faster in the April-June timeframe to keep pace with the auto industry’s 3.5% increase in North American daily output compared with the first quarter.

Despite rising fuel prices, auto makers’ newly minted second-quarter plans call for average daily production to rise to 65,300 units on volume of 4,048,600 car and truck assemblies, up 26.1% from year-ago. 

That’s also an increase from 63,073 units of daily output in the latest January-March slate, in which production has been revised upward by 122,500 light vehicles to 3,992,500, a 15.9% increase from like-2011.

The 34.5% jump in Q2 car output, compared with year-ago, reflects in part the return to full production of Japanese auto plants in North America this year after Japan’s natural disasters forced significant cutbacks in 2011, beginning the second quarter.

A more modest 19.6% increase in second-quarter truck output comes as little surprise given rising gasoline prices and follows the January-March pattern in which car production bests year-ago by 26.5%, compared with 8.8% for trucks.

First-half production for 2012 is set to reach 8,041,100 vehicles, up more than 1.6 million units, or 20.8%, from the 6,655,300 turned out in January-June last year.

With Japanese plants back full tilt, transplants account for 27.0% of first-half output plans, compared with 32.4% in like-2011. The Detroit Three slip to 31.5% from 32.4%.

Medium-and heavy truck makers make up 1.2% of North American production in both years.

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