Toyota halts more production in Japan due to parts shortage

Toyota Motor on Friday halted more production at some factories in Japan due to a shortage of components shipped from parts plants in Southeast Asia.

The recent halts will reduce car output by 9,000 vehicles when added to curbs declared on Thursday, affecting the production of Lexus models and its four-wheel-drive Land Cruiser, the automaker said.

Although limited, the reductions come as the automaker attempts to make up for production lost to previous supply-chain disruptions in Malaysia and Vietnam that forced it to cut vehicle output even as demand for cars in markets such as China showed recovery.

The automaker is sticking to an annual production target set in September for building 9 million vehicles by the end of March.

“We would like to maintain 9 million units, but we will keep a close eye on the situation,” a Toyota spokesperson informed.