A COVID-19 outbreak at 1 of Toyota Motor Production Canada’s important suppliers has halted the automaker’s Ontario car or truck assembly plants, which generate its prime-selling RAV4 crossover.
There have been 8 beneficial cases “over the past several weeks” at the Toyotetsu plant in Simcoe, Ont., about 76 miles northwest of Toronto, according to a statement from the provider.
“For this motive, and out of an abundance of warning, we have made a decision to quickly pause our operations,” the corporation mentioned. “We are doing work intently with the Haldimand-Norfolk Health and fitness Unit concerning the secure restarting of our operations.”
Toyotetsu suggests “the wide the vast majority of these cases have not been connected to on-web site transmission.”
About 1,200 men and women function at the provider. Toyotetsu manufactures system and chassis elements for all a few of Toyota’s assembly plants in the province.
“Toyota Motor Production Canada has paused creation at our North (Cambridge), South (Cambridge) and West (Woodstock) services today,” Toyota Canada spokesman Michael Bouliane mentioned in a statement to Automotive News Canada on Thursday. “We are monitoring the problem intently and will suggest our creation staff members once the elements provide concern has been solved.”
The creation stoppage impacts the Toyota RAV, RAV4 hybrid, Lexus RX 350 and the RX 450h Hybrid. Toyota’s assembly plants employ a lot more than 8,000 employees.
The RAV4, Toyota’s prime-selling car or truck in the U.S. by a large margin, was the No. 1 car or truck in the pink-warm U.S. compact crossover segment for the duration of the very first quarter with deliveries surging 17 {7e488363c11ee5ef50445c8c4fa770b6e6e4f99e57faea264a05ac52abb3ffe0} to 114,255 units. The RAV4 also ranks as the fourth most effective-selling car or truck general in the U.S., driving the Ford F-Sequence, Ram and Chevy Silverado.
It’s not apparent when creation will resume at Toyotetsu.
“As we proceed to comply with [Haldimand-Norfolk Health and fitness Unit] steerage, a return-to-function date will be identified,” the provider mentioned.