Toyota loses China output as plants shut on Tianjin blasts - Driving
Toyota Motor Corp. will lose its biggest source of car production within China for at least three days, as automakers struggle to assess the damage of last week’s explosions in the port city of Tianjin. The area’s evacuation will prevent Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co. from operating through Wednesday. The broader toll for automakers and suppliers that count on the port to store vehicles and ship parts remains unclear. Along with Toyota, Hyundai Motor Co. has been unable to determine how many of its cars were damaged, and the Korean carmaker has shut a nearby logistics center. Volkswagen AG, China’s largest foreign automaker, had about 2,700 vehicles damaged by the explosions, spokeswoman Larissa Braun said in an e-mail. Toyota has the most at stake among the companies unable to restart production immediately. Tianjin FAW Toyota built about 440,000 Crown, Reiz, Corolla and Vios cars last year, almost half of Toyota’s annual vehicle output in China. A plant in Xiqing, about 70 kilometers (44 miles) from the blast site, depends on parts produced in Tianjin and contains one of the company’s three manufacturing lines that aren’t operating. Source: driving.ca
