Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA) said it will increase production this June to about 70% of normal levels, up from 30% in May as a result of parts shortages caused by the Japan earthquake.
Models returning to 100% production in June are Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, Sequoia, Sienna and Venza.
Toyota Motor Corporation estimates the negative impact from the Japan Earthquake in early March at about 100 billion yen or $1.2 billion for Q1, with the production loss of 170,000 units. In total, the earthquake resulted in the loss of the production of 900,000 vehicles thus far.
In a stock exchange filing Toyota said full-year consolidated and unconsolidated financial results for FY2011 decreased from the previously announced forecasts mainly due to the suspension of vehicle production and the decrease in vehicle sales caused by the Japan Earthquake. The largest Japanese automaker said that there are still 30 critical parts that are not available. (See Toyota Posts Fiscal Year Profit of $5 Billion, but Q4 Dives)
In a statement Toyota said it will continue to evaluate production model-by-model on a monthly basis, with a goal to return to fully normalized production by late this year.
“We continue to develop solutions in order to restore 100 percent production as soon as possible for all of our North American-made vehicles,” said Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president of TEMA.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
