Toyota Motor Company announced another round of output cuts across its manufacturing plants in Japan, citing cases of COVID-19 infections among its workers and parts suppliers.
Toyota's Motomachi plant is where the GR Yaris is manufactured
In a statement, the carmaker said that it suspended operations on a number of its facilities and production lines from January 21 to 24, 2022. Toyota reported that almost 40 personnel at its Tsutsumi plant in Aichi prefecture tested positive for COVID-19 between January 18 and 19, with the factory undergoing disinfection.
Cases of the highly transmissible Omicron variant have reportedly surged in Japan at the start of 2022, with daily COVID-19 cases reaching a record 46,199.
| Plant | Production line | Period of suspension | Production vehicle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation Motomachi Plant | Production Line #1 | January 21, 22, 24 | Crown, Noah, Voxy, Mirai |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Motomachi Plant | Production line for GR models | January 21, 22, 24 | GR Yaris |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Motomachi Plant | Production line for low volume models | January 21, 22, 24 | LC |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Takaoka Plant | Production Line #1 | January 21, 22, 24 | Corolla, Corolla Touring, Corolla Cross |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Tsutsumi Plant | Production line #1 | January 21, 22, 24 | Prius , PHV, Corolla |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Tsutsumi Plant | Production line #2 | January 21, 22,24 | Corolla Sport, Camry, ES |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Tahara Plant | Production line #1 | January 21, 22 | Land Cruiser Prado, GX, 4Runner |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Tahara Plant | Production line #3 | January 21, 22, 24 | LS, IS, RC, RC F, NX |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Iwate Plant | Production line #1 | January 21, 22, 24 | C-HR, Aqua |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Iwate Plant | Production line #2 | January 21, 22, 24 | Yaris, Yaris Cross, Aqua |
| Toyota Motor Corporation Miyagi Ohira Plant | All production lines | January 21, 22, 24 | Yaris Cross, Sienta, Corolla Axio, Corolla Fielder, JPN Taxi |
| Toyota Auto Body Fujimatsu Plant | Production line #1 | January 21 | Land Cruiser 70 |
| Toyota Auto Body Fujimatsu Plant | Production line #2 | January 21 | Noah, Voxy |
| Toyota Auto Body Inabe Plant | Production line #1 | January 21 | Hiace, Granace, Alphard, Vellfire, LM |
| Toyota Auto Body Yoshiwara Plant | Production line #1 | January 21 | LX, Land Cruiser 300 |
| Toyota Auto Body Yoshiwara Plant | Production line #2 | January 21 | Land Cruiser 70 |
| Gifu Auto Body | Production line #1 | January 21, 22 | Hiace/Ambulance, Granace |
| Gifu Auto Body | Production line #2 | January 21, 22 | Coaster |
| Hino Motors Ltd. Hamura Plant | Production line #1 | January 21, 22 | Land Cruiser Prado, FJ Cruiser |
| Hino Motors Ltd. Hamura Plant | Production line #4 | January 21 | High Mobility Vehicle |
The move is expected to have an impact on the supply of specific Toyota and Lexus models, which a Toyota spokesperson said could amount to 47,000 units for this month.
The Land Cruiser 300 already has a wait list of up to four years
According to the automaker, it is adjusting its global production target of around 700,000 units for February 2022 by 150,000, as a result of continuing demand for semiconductors across all industries. Since 2021, car manufacturers have been struggling with a shortage of electronic chips necessary for automobile manufacturing.
Due to the production cuts, Toyota expects to fall short of its projected 9 million units produced for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2022.
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