An earthquake in Japan forced Toyota Motor Corp to suspend production at most of its domestic plants, impacting some of its best-selling models.
The automaker stated that it would halt production at 11 of its 14 Japanese plants, comprising 18 of the 28 different production lines, between March 21 and 23.
Models including GR Yaris, RAV4, Prado, C-HR, Yaris, Yaris Cross, and LandCruiser 70 and 300 Series will be affected. Numerous Lexus models, such as LS, NX, and LX, are also impacted.
Toyota mentioned that it would lose around 20,000 units of production due to earthquake-related closures, which is deemed manageable. However, given the current context, it adds to the challenges the company is facing.
“Toyota would like to extend its deepest sympathy and condolences to those affected by the earthquakes that occurred in the Tohoku region on March 16,” the company said.
“Due to the parts shortage resulting from suppliers affected by the earthquakes, additional adjustments to production operations will be made at some plants in Japan as follows.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience these adjustments may cause to our customers and relevant suppliers.
“While prioritizing the safety of people and the recovery of the region, we will continue to work with our relevant suppliers to strengthen our measures against parts shortages and will do our utmost to deliver vehicles to our customers as soon as possible.”
This supply delay comes after Toyota lowered its planned production for April to June this week by hundreds of thousands of units, in response to the chip shortage induced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
