Toyota says Japan plants may be affected by virus-related supply issues

Also aims to cancel all non-essential travel for employees in Japan

TOKYO: Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday said that operations at its plants in Japan may be affected by supply chain issues linked to the new coronavirus outbreak in the coming weeks, as the global outbreak gathers pace.

The automaker, which operates 16 vehicle and components sites in Japan, said that it would decide on how to continue operations at its domestic plants from the week of March 9, after keeping output normal through the week of March 2.

Plants may be affected by potential supply disruptions in China as some plants in the epicentre of the virus outbreak remain unable to produce and transport goods, while some plants remain closed under orders by regional authorities.

"We are receiving parts from China as normal for the moment, but we will assess the situation after the week of March 2," a Toyota spokeswoman told Reuters.

Japan is a major site of production for the company, accounting for nearly half of the 10.7 million cars it sold globally in 2019.

The automaker also said it would cancel all non-essential travel for employees in Japan, the latest move by a global company to curb operations as the speed of the virus outbreak appears to gather pace.

Last week, Toyota Motor said it planned to resume operations at all four of its vehicle assembly plants in China on Monday February 24 following a one-month production halt due to the coronavirus outbreak. However, output at some plants would be limited.

The Japanese auto maker said in a statement that production at its vehicle assembly plant in Chengdu, Sichuan province would also resume this week.

During last week, Toyota began partial production at plants in Tianjin Province and other regions.