THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 11, 2022 at 15:53 JST
Toyota Motor Corp. logo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to pause production at more of its plants in Japan as it struggles to procure parts from China because of the prolonged COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai.
Toyota announced on May 10 that it will reduce its global production by about 30,000 units to around 700,000 units in May. If the lockdown is prolonged further, the impact could be even greater.
Toyota said last month that it would suspend operations on 10 assembly lines at nine factories out of a total of 28 lines at 14 factories in Japan for up to six days due to semiconductor shortages.
But after a review, the company expanded the production halt to 20 lines at 12 plants. The factories will come to a stop from May 16 to 21. The company said it will decide whether to continue to close plants on and after May 22, depending on the status of parts procurement.
China's zero-tolerance COVID-19 policy has hurt companies operating there. Toyota's Tianjin plant temporarily suspended its operations in January. Its Changchun plant was also forced to close for about a month and a half from mid-March.
The strict COVID-19 lockdown in Shanghai is affecting other major auto companies as well.
Suzuki Motor Corp. suspended operations at its Iwata plant in Shizuoka Prefecture on May 9 and 10.
Mazda Motor Corp. is also struggling to procure vehicle parts. It shut down its headquarters plant in Hiroshima Prefecture and its Hofu plant in Yamaguchi Prefecture for three days until May 11. Mazda's plant in Mexico is also expected to close for a total of six days in May.
(This article was written by Takeshi Narabe and Junichi Kamiyama.)
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