Toyota: At Least 6 Months Before Normal Production
Like other Japanese automakers, Toyota continues to be affected deeply by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Now the company is saying that it will be at least 6 months before they can resume production at levels before the disasters.
By November, Toyota is hoping that production, both overseas and American, will return to normal—with suppliers bringing in parts at a steady rate and factory work suspensions slowing down. Toyota is the first major automaker to make such a prediction.
“By telling dealers the timing of the recovery, they can have a better conversation with their customers,” said Akio Toyoda, the company’s president. “Dealers right now cannot talk to their customers about delivery timing. They can’t talk about specifics. Sales people are having a difficult time.”
Right now, Japanese production is right around 50% of capability. The normal rate, Toyota believes, will resume by July as issues in the supply chain are slowly, gradually worked out.
[Source: Automotive News]
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