A healthy stockpile of parts has reportedly insulated Toyota from instituting production cuts like other automakers, but the Delta variant has laid waste to the company’s plans.
The automaker will cut output at its factories across the world by around 40 per cent next month due to “parts shortage resulting from the spread of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia”.
The Delta variant of the Coronavirus has caused a sharp upturn in infections and deaths across the region, causing many factories to shut down.
Toyota’s production will fall from a planned to 900,000 next month to just 540,000, a drop of 360,000 units.
For reference, Toyota made 905,000 vehicles across the world in September 2019. September 2020 production rose to 973,000 units as automakers sought to make up for lost output at the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic.
All 14 factories, and every production line bar one, in Japan will stop work for multiple days in September. Stoppages are staggered, and not all models are affected equally.
Production of the new 300 Series LandCruiser has been cancelled for virtually the entire month.
One line making the popular RAV4 will be stopped for 18 days, while two other lines manufacturing the popular crossover will only be halted for five days each.
There are stoppages of around two weeks on lines making the Corolla, Camry, Prius, Yaris, Yaris Cross, and Lexus ES.
Shorter production pauses are scheduled for lines making the C-HR, HiAce, Granvia, LandCruiser Prado, LandCruiser 70 Series, Yaris GR, and all Lexus models.
Production of exotic vehicles, such as the Lexus LC and Toyota Century, have been stopped completely for the month of September.
Factories outside of Japan will also be hit with extra downtime.
According to Automotive News, all of the automaker’s factories in North America, except the Mexican plant making the Tundra and Tacoma pickups, will also significantly curtail production.
The Kluger crossover is built in Princeton, Indiana, and shipped to Australia.
Production at one of Toyota’s three factories in Thailand has reportedly been put on pause since July 21.
