General Motors US plant affected by impact of Japan's quake

The United States may be over 8,000 kilometers from Japan but the distance didn't stop the March 11 earthquake from affecting the production of some of General Motors vehicles.

After the double disaster struck Japan, General Motors announced it would suspend production at its Shreveport, Louisiana, assembly plant where the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups are made in the US.

Though no specific reason was given for the temporary shutdown, Cars.com suspects it could be because the two vehicles reportedly use a five-speed manual transmission produced by Aisin, a major transmission manufacturer based in Japan.

"Like all global automakers, we will continue to follow the events in Japan closely to determine the business impact, working across the organization to maximize flexibility, supply the most critical operations, and effectively manage cost," General Motors said in a statement.