Toyota is suspending production at nine plants in Japan. The stoppages are due to supply disruptions caused by a weekend earthquake that hit the northeast part of the country. The world’s biggest automaker said the interruption is a result of various being negatively impacted by the earthquake. The plant shutdowns begin on February 17 and will run through February 20, the company said.
The downtime impacts 14 of Toyota’s 28 lines in Japan. Popular nameplates like the Toyota RAV4, C-HR and Harrier crossovers will be impacted. Several Lexus models, including the LS and IS sedans, the RC and LC coupes, as well as the LX, NX, UX and RX crossovers and SUVs, will also see production halts.
Toyota said that the impacted parts are not semiconductors. That disclosure comes despite the fact that the global industry is facing a shortage of automotive microchips. A key semiconductor plant in Japan currently has reduced output due to the earthquake.
A 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck off Japan’s northeast coast over the weekend. It was near the epicenter of the devastating Tohoku earthquake that hit ten years ago, killing more than 16,000 people. That previous earthquake triggered a massive tsunami and a subsequent meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
The latest earthquake injured about 160 people. It also caused blackouts to nearly one million households in northern Japan. Thankfully, there are currently no known fatalities.
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