Toyota Cutting Production By 20 Percent Next Month
Earlier this week, we covered Toyota stressing over the feasibility of its current production plans. Automakers around the world are presently trying to suss out how to maintain solid profitability with diminished output, with Japan’s largest manufacturer suggesting the present state of the world might force it to do likewise.
While we assumed the resulting decisions would take a couple of weeks for Toyota to finalize, as it considered its many options, the company announced on Friday that it would need to cut domestic production by 20 percent for the month of April. The automaker framed this as part of its preexisting “recovery plan” necessary to account for supply chain issues that never seem to end, saying that diminished output would gradually normalize in Japan over the spring.
Corporate spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto explained that the company had originally planned on raising production targets through the spring to make up for losses incurred by COVID restrictions and part shortages. But hardships have continued for suppliers, making it unrealistic to pursue those goals. So they’re being tamped back by 20 percent for April, 10 percent for May, and 5 percent for June.
Hashimoto suggested that this would still represent a high level of production for Toyota since the cutbacks have been incorporated into the elevated targets. But those goals were already supposed to help make up for production volumes lost over the last two years. Like most other manufacturers, Toyota has been telling customers they might have to wait months for certain models to arrive.
“We will continue to do our best to deliver vehicles to our customers as soon as possible,” Hashimoto said, adding that these reductions were simply estimates and would be subject to change.
[Image: NeydtStock/Shutterstock]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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The good news is that automakers no longer have to lease acres and acres of parking lots and open fields to store their unsold vehicles. Times do change!
Looks like, for us Washingtonians, the RAV4 Prime and NX450h+ will continue to be vaporware.