An earthquake in Japan has forced Toyota Motor Corp to suspend production at the majority of its domestic plants – affecting some of its top-selling models.
The car-maker said it would pause output at 11 of its 14 Japanese plants comprising 18 out of 28 different production lines, between March 21 and March 23.
Models including the GR Yaris, RAV4, Prado, C-HR, Yaris, Yaris Cross, and the LandCruiser 70 and 300 Series will be affected. There are also numerous Lexus models affected such as the LS, NX and LX.
Toyota said it will lose about 20,000 vehicles of output from the quake-related shutdowns, according to Automotive News, which is hardly existential. But in the current context, the last thing it needs.
“Toyota would like to extend its sincere 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 will be made to production operations in some plants in Japan as follows.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience these adjustments may cause our customers and relevant suppliers.
“While prioritizing the safety of the people and the recovery of the region, we will continue to work with our relevant suppliers in strengthening our measures against the parts shortage and make every effort to deliver vehicles to our customers as soon as possible.”
The latest supply delay came after Toyota this week downgraded its planned April to June output by hundreds of thousands of units, in response to the COVID-induced chip shortages.
MORE: Toyota cuts production, takes ‘intentional pause’ for suppliers’ sake
