Toyota Motor on Wednesday stated that operations at its plants in Japan may be impacted by supply chain issues associated to the new coronavirus outbreak in the coming weeks, as the worldwide outbreak gathers pace.
The automaker, which operates 16 vehicle and parts sites in Japan, stated that it would decide on how to continue operations at its regional plants from the week of March 9, after keeping output normal through the week of March 2.
Plants may be affected by possible supply disruptions in China as some plants in the epicenter of the virus outbreak remain are not able to produce and transport goods, while some plants remain closed under orders by local officials.
“We are receiving parts from China as normal for the moment, but we will assess the situation after the week of March 2,” a Toyota spokeswoman informed Reuters.
Japan is a significant site of production for the company, representing almost half of the 10.7 million cars its sold globally in 2019.
The automaker also stated it would cancel all non-essential travel for workers in Japan, the recent move by a global company to curb operations.
Coronavirus has so far infected 172 people and killed 3 in Japan.
