2012 Honda CR-V delayed by Japan disaster

The fallout from Japan's earthquake and tsunami disaster continues to affect daily life for the beleaguered nation, and the country's auto industry has also struggled to recover.

For Honda, the devastation in the north has caused extensive delays to its parts supply, leading the company to postpone the launch of the all-new 2012 CR-V.

The new small SUV was scheduled to debut in the Northern Hemisphere's Autumn (around September), but according to financial paper Bloomberg, it is now expected to appear closer to December.

Production of the current-generation CR-V will be extended as a result, albeit at a reduced capacity.

“Recovery from this crisis is difficult and constantly evolving, most notably the challenge of obtaining a few key components required to maintain production at appropriate levels,” Honda US' John Mendel told dealers this week.

“Overall production volume will be at significantly reduced levels as we continue production adjustments through the summer months.”

Honda's Japanese plants are expected to continue at 50 percent of capacity through June, and plants outside of Japan will operate on a case-by-case basis, depending on which models are scheduled.