USA Today - Honda says its U.S. and Canadian plants will be back to nearly normal production by August -- sooner than it expected -- thanks to improving parts flow.
That also allowed Toyota to say earlier that its U.S. plants will be at 70% next month.
Honda had warned dealers of possible model shortages in the wake of the Japan disaster and said production -- now 30% of normal -- might not be back to full-speed until year's end.
But one model will remain in short supply: The new 2012 Civic.
Honda told the Associated Press that Civic still lacks electrical, rubber and other parts from Japan and that North American Civic production may be half-speed into the fall.
Analyst Rebecca Lindland of IHS Automotive cautions that overall supply will remain tight for a while for small cars and those made only in Japan -- so don't expect deals. "You are still going to see some limited selection. We're in a situation where you can't necessarily be too choosy, and you certainly are not going to see vehicles slathered with incentives like we have in the past."
