Toyota is suspending production at nine of its plants in Japan this week due to supply disruptions resulting from the earthquake that hit the country’s northeast region over the weekend.
The Japanese car manufacturer said the decision has been made after a number of suppliers were directly affected by the earthquake. Toyota did not specify which parts or suppliers have been impacted, although spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto confirmed that they do not manufacture semiconductors.
The production suspensions will start as early as February 17 and could run through to February 20 at all the affected lines. Auto News states that Toyota remains undecided on when production will resume, but has confirmed that the supply chain issues should not impact overseas production.
Read Also: Toyota Intends To Build Record 9.2 Million Vehicles In 2021
It is understood that the pause in production involves 14 of the company’s 28 production lines in Japan and affects vehicles such as the Toyota RAV4, C-HR, and Harrier. It will also impact production of the Lexus LS, IS, RC, LC, LX, NX, UX, and RX.
The 7.3 magnitude earthquake that hit Japan came almost exactly 10 years after the Tohoku earthquake in the same area that triggered a tsunami and meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. This most recent quake caused blackouts to almost 1 million households and injured approximately 160 people.
The earthquake has led to widespread property damage, including the Ebisu Circuit in the Fukushima prefecture where a massive landslide occurred.
