Toyota to slash production plan in China due to lockdown

Toyota Motor said on Tuesday it would temporarily halt operations on 14 lines at eight domestic plants for up to 6 days in May because of the COVID lockdown in China.

The duration will be between May 16 and May 21, the automaker said, expanding the number of lines and factories impacted by partial suspension to a total of 20 and 12.

The partial suspension will be affecting the output of about 40,000 vehicles.

It also cut the worldwide production target for the month by around 50,000 to 700,000.

Shanghai is under lockdown for its sixth week due to a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in China.

About 220,397 people in China, have been confirmed as being infected with the coronavirus. The virus has killed 5,191 people in the country. Although these figures are heavily disputed and experts say the government has deliberately under-reported the figures.