Toyota extends Japan car production stoppages

Japanese multinational automotive company Toyota has announced that it will extend production stoppages at some factories in Japan as it continues to feel the impact of supply chain issues.

The world's largest carmaker said its components factories in South East Asia had faced disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Land Cruiser and Lexus production will be hit by the delays.

The company said that lost production from the latest halts will total about 14_000 vehicles in December.

In an email sent to the BBC_ Toyota said the stoppages were due to "lower attendance rate at suppliers in South East Asia due to the re-spread of Covid-19 and tight logistics situation in Japan."

However_ company also said it aimed to stick to its annual global production target for the year ending on 31 March: "We would like to maintain 9 million units_ but we will keep a close eye on the situation."

In August_ the Japanese automaker slashed its global production forecast due to the computer chip shortage.

Toyota's rivals_ including General Motors_ Ford_ Nissan_ Daimler_ BMW and Renault_ have also been forced to scale back production as they struggled to secure enough semiconductors.

As well as disruptions caused by the pandemic_ car makers have also been impacted after one of the industry's biggest suppliers of computer chips suffered a major fire at one of its factories in Japan. In March_ Renesas warned it could have a "massive impact" on its ability to fulfil orders.