TOYOTA TO HALT PRODUCTION IN 2 PLANTS AMID CHIP CRUNCH

Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will suspend production lines at two plants in Japan for up to eight days in June due to a global semiconductor shortage, affecting an estimated 20,000 vehicles, Mainichi Japan reported.

Toyota's first domestic output adjustment caused by the chip shortage will impact the production of three models -- the C-HR and Yaris Cross crossover SUVs as well as the Yaris compact car.

The two plants are located in the northeastern prefectures of Iwate and Miyagi, with a total of three lines going offline for three to eight business days from as early as June 7, the automaker said.

Yaris was the top-selling vehicle brand in Japan in fiscal 2020, with the SUV and compact models selling a combined 202,652 units.

The automaker has weathered the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and the recent global chip shortage relatively well, compared with major rivals such as Nissan Motor Co. and Honda Motor Co.

In the year through March 2022, Toyota is expecting net profit to grow further from the just-ended fiscal year, even as the chip shortage casts a cloud over the auto industry globally.

Nissan expects to cut production by around 250,000 vehicles in fiscal 2021, while Mazda Motor Corp. is bracing for a reduction of 100,000 in the same year.

The shortage has been triggered by robust demand for semiconductors that are used not only in cars but a variety of products such as laptops and game consoles.

Major auto chip supplier Renesas Electronics Corp. has been scrambling to return output and shipments to normal following a fire in March at its plant in Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo.

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