DETROIT -

As automakers and dealership groups both here and abroad continue to gauge the extent of the Japanese disaster’s impact on their operations, it seems the effects of the parts supply dearth have already appeared in the U.S.

General Motors revealed Thursday that its Shreveport Assembly facility in Louisiana will halt production next week because of the parts shortage. The automaker did stress that it believes it has enough vehicles on hand for dealers and that the rest of its North American plants will run as scheduled.

According to the automaker’s website, the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon are built at the Shreveport plant.

“We will resume production at Shreveport as soon as possible, and at this point, we have sufficient vehicles to meet customer demand,” the automaker said in a statement. “Employees should use specified plant communication hotlines for updates about future production schedules.”

GM said it is continuing to monitor the situation. Likewise, other major OEMs are keeping close tabs on the state of their suppliers in Japan. For instance, Honda said it is talking with suppliers to determine how their operations are faring.

“Honda has made contact with all Tier 1 suppliers in Japan and is collecting information from them regarding the status of their operations,” Honda said in a statement Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Toyota said that it is business as usual at its 13 vehicle and engine plans in North America.  However, the company stressed that to make sure the automaker has enough of the Japanese parts it needs, Toyota has temporarily cut down on overtime at North American facilities.

“In addition, since most parts and materials for Toyota’s North American-built vehicles are provided by suppliers in North America, this helps insulate Toyota’s North American plants from production interruptions in Japan,” the automaker pointed out.

Over at Nissan, the corporate office in Japan said Wednesday said that the automaker continues to try to figure out how get parts from its suppliers delivered to the appropriate parties.

“Although all plants, except for the Iwaki engine plant, have been able to repair some damaged facilities and/or equipment, it is still taking time to arrange delivery of parts from our suppliers,” officials stated.