Toyota to suspend production line

Toyota is planning to suspend production for more than a year at one of its production lines in Japan. It will be the first time it has made a long-term suspension at one of its domestic plants and the closure at the plant in Aichi prefecture will reduce output by 220,000 vehicles.

Toyota also confirmed it is considering suspending one of its production lines at Burnaston in Derbyshire in the UK, but that no decision had been taken. The Burnaston plant employs 4,100 workers, making models such as the Avensis and Auris. A Toyota spokesman said that moving from two production lines to one was one of many options being considered.

“We are always considering the best production structure, but nothing has been decided regarding one-line operations at the Burnaston plant,” he said.

Only a month ago, Toyota announced plans to build the hybrid version of its Auris model at Burnaston, which would be its first European-built hybrid.

Source: BBC News