2011 Murano CrossCabriolet Production Significantly Hampered by Quake

Just the Facts:

• Count the 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet as another victim of the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Nissan was only able to deliver 40-50 units to U.S. consumers thus far this spring due to supply chain problems, the automaker told Inside Line on Friday.
• Nissan says the highly anticipated Murano CrossCabriolet was literally in its first few days of production start-up in Kyushu, Japan when the disaster struck.
• The Murano CrossCabriolet joins a growing list of high-profile vehicles, including the 2012 Honda Civic and Toyota Prius, impacted by Japan's natural disaster.

FRANKLIN, Tennessee — Count the 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet as another victim of the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Nissan was only able to deliver 40-50 units to U.S. consumers thus far this spring due to supply chain problems in Japan, the automaker told Inside Line on Friday.

The Murano CrossCabriolet, which went on sale in the U.S. just a few weeks ago, joins a growing list of high-profile vehicles, including the 2012 Honda Civic and Toyota Prius, impacted by Japan's natural disaster. The Murano convertible is built at Nissan's Kyushu plant. The plant did not suffer direct damage in the quake, but production was suspended because the parts supply was halted, said the automaker. Operations resumed on April 13.

The unusual Murano CrossCabriolet, touted by Nissan as "the world's first all-wheel-drive crossover convertible," missed some of the Spring rush to drop-top vehicles by consumers. Priced at $47,190, including an $800 destination charge, the Murano CrossCabriolet is somewhat of a risk-taking product launch even in the best of times.

Nissan does not break out Murano CrossCabriolet sales from overall Murano sales, so its May sales release does not provide any formal data.

"However, I can tell you we started to deliver our first few units in May and there were roughly 40-50 placed in customer hands," wrote David P. Reuter, Nissan Americas vice president of corporate communications, in response to an e-mailed query from Inside Line. "What's more important is for me to note that this vehicle's production was significantly impacted by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The vehicle was literally in its first few days of production start-up when disaster hit, so our inventory — in transit and on the ground in the U.S. — was virtually non-existent.

"Given this, it would be incorrect to assume that there is any sort of sales problem with the Murano CrossCabriolet. It's a supply challenge and one which we'll have to work through in the coming months until we get a good number of units into dealer hands."

Nissan on Wednesday listed total Murano sales in May 2011 at 3,384, a 32-percent decline from May 2010.

Inside Line says: It's a waiting game for the Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.