The explosion happened at the Chuo Spring Co. factory.
Many Toyota and Lexus models are assembled in Japan.
Production is stopped until Wednesday.
Toyota is forced to suspend production at seven of its plants in Japan. The Japanese giant was forced to do so following an explosion at one of the brand’s supplier’s plants.
And these are not minor components since the explosion took place at the Chuo Spring Co. plant in Aichi prefecture. The plant manufactures suspension springs for several Japanese brands. The production stoppage at Toyota’s seven plants is scheduled to last until Wednesday.
This is not the first time in 2023 that Toyota has had to halt production at one or more of its plants. Last August, no less than 14 plants on Japanese soil were shut down for a day after discovering a disturbance in its manufacturing system.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, automakers have been plagued by supply problems of all kinds, and the scourge is still raging at this time.
Although the production stoppage is only temporary (until Wednesday for the time being), this latest glitch adds to the already long list of troubles encountered by the automotive industry over the past three years.
It’s too early to say just how much of an impact this stoppage will have on vehicles destined for North America, but it’s clear that further delay (in some cases) is to be expected.
This new production halt could also prove problematic for Toyota, which is seeking to accelerate its shift towards clean energies, including electric propulsion. The automaker has advocated patience in this matter, leaving the rest of the industry to enter the world of electric cars before Toyota’s senior management changes its mind.
Here is a list of Toyota and Lexus models currently assembled in Japan: Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Lexus GX, Lexus RX, Lexus RC, Lexus UX, Lexus LS and Lexus LC, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota GR 86, Toyota Mirai, Toyota Venza and Toyota Prius.
