Vehicles smashed and burned in typhoon

The typhoon which hammered car export ports in both Kobe and Osaka in Japan will cause extensive disruption to vehicle imports for Kiwi dealers.

Whether electric vehicles are affected as well remains to be seen.

But GVI Electric general manager Hayden Johnston says he’s not heard of any issues yet, although it’s still early days.

He says all their people in the area are safe, some reporting that about 100 used cars were on fire at an auction site.

Johnston’s not expecting any delays in getting EVs from Japan though.

Frank Willett, chief executive officer of major logistics company Autohub, says their office has reopened in Japan and that all their people are OK.

“Vehicles stored in the port prior to shipment have been particularly hard hit with windscreens and windows being blown out,” he says.

“Our people are assessing the extent of the damage at the moment, but there is going to be extensive disruption.”

Willett says the only positive to come out of the typhoon was that it had blown away the stink bugs and they had now decided Osaka was not for them.

Vehicle shipping and logistics firm Moana Blue general manager Matt Battle says, “It’s utter chaos at the moment”.

He says they had trouble getting access to the port.

Battle says they will need to talk to exporters there and to their consignees in New Zealand first before making further comment.

He says it’s not a pretty sight, but what would have been a catastrophe anywhere else in the world the Japanese people are taking in their stride and just getting on with cleaning up.

Moana Blue managing director Nigel Grindall is in Japan and was on his way to the port when AutoTalk spoke to Battle.

VIA earlier issued a warning to New Zealand’s automotive industry that port facilities affected by Typhoon Jebi, Japan’s worst storm in 25 years, could delay some vehicles being sent to New Zealand.