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Toyota cuts production target by 300,000 vehicles due to parts and chips shortages

TOKYO - Toyota cut its annual production target by 300,000 vehicles on Friday as rising COVID-19 infections slowed output at parts factories in Vietnam and Malaysia, compounding a global shortage of auto chips. "It's a combination of the coronavirus and semiconductors, but at the moment it is the coronavirus that is having the overwhelming impact," Kazunari Kumakura, an executive at the world's biggest car maker, said after the company revised its production target. Unlike other big global automakers that were forced earlier to scale back production plans, Toyota had managed to avoid cuts to output because it had stockpiled key components along a supply chain hardened against disruption following northeast Japan's devastating earthquake in 2011. Toyota's announcement on Friday is a further sign that no part of the global car industry has escaped the affects of a pandemic that has sapped sales and is hobbling its ability to take advantage of the recovery in demand that followed the initial waves of COVID-19. Car sales in China in August fell by almost a fifth from a year earlier because there were fewer vehicles for people to buy. Toyota now expects to build 9 million vehicles in the year to March 31, rather than 9.3 million. It did not revise its 2.5 trillion yen ($22.7 billion) operating profit forecast for the business year. Adding to a 360,000-vehicle cut in worldwide production in September, Toyota said on Friday it will reduce output by a further 70,000 this month and by 330,000 in October. It hopes to make up some of that lost production before its year-end. Demand for chips has soared during the pandemic as consumer electronic companies rush to meet stay-at-home demand for their smartphones, tablets and other devices. A heavy reliance on Southeast Asian factories for parts is a headache for Toyota, but its also a problem for its rivals that have struggled with what Volkswagen has described as "very volatile and tight" chip supplies. The German carmaker has warned it may need to cut production further as a result. Ford last month shut down production at a plant in Kansas that builds its best-selling F-150 pick up because of parts supply woes, with Renault extending partial stoppages at factories in Spain. Mercedes this month said it expects chip shortages to significantly lower third quarter sales. (Reporting by Tim Kelly; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Kim Coghill) Plants/Manufacturing Lexus Toyota

There's a familiar ring to this 1966 video of GM's hydrogen ElectroVan

"What we need is fuel cells that can run on a hydrocarbon fuel and air." It can be fun and educational to revisit the past as we look into the future. While we do have cars that plug in today, the first big batch of hydrogen powered vehicles is not yet arrived (but the Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell CUV is leading the way). The idea of hydrogen as a promising future technology was also true in 1960s, when General Motors made a promotional movie for the ElectroVan. Turns out, the future then shared more than a little with the future now. As you can see in the short promotional video below for the hydrogen-powered ElectroVan, a modified 1966 GMC HandiVan, a big hurdle in the mid 1960s was the difficulty of obtaining hydrogen fuel. GM offered a possible solution at the time: "Hydrogen and oxygen are expensive and impractical fuels for a car. What we need is fuel cells that can run on a hydrocarbon fuel and air." Unlike today's hydrogen fuel cell cars, the ElectroVan used liquid hydrogen-oxygen fuel cells to get a range of between 100 and 150 miles. Not bad for the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle in the world. GM tested the ElectroVan on the GM grounds before sending it into storage and then to the company's heritage center. For another view to the past, this time with some focus on electric vehicles, take a look at a video from the 1994 Chicago Auto Show, also available below. Twenty years ago, the green vehicle hype was on the Toyota EV-50 electric car, the solar-powered Honda EVX (and a solar Honda racing car) and a hydrogen-powered Mazda Miata. The announcer's enthusiasm is contagious, but as we all know, none of these vehicles ever made it to dealerships. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Chicago Auto Show, Bangshift via YouTube Green GM Toyota Technology Emerging Technologies Electric Hydrogen Cars Videos

Toyota recalls 52k units of 2011-2012 Avalon for potential short circuit

Toyota is issuing a recall for roughly 52,000 examples of its 2011 and 2012 Avalon sedans in the US because a possible short circuit in the wiring for audio system's subwoofer may cause a fire. According to Toyota, it's possible for the subwoofer's wires to move out of position if contacted by cargo in the trunk. If one of the wires then contacts the metal frame of the speaker, it could trigger a short circuit. "If this occurs, the subwoofer could overheat, increasing the risk of a fire," according to the automaker. "There were two reports of thermal events – no outright fires," said Toyota spokesperson Cindy Knight to Autoblog. Toyota reports there are no reports of injuries, fatalities or crashes from this problem. Dealers will repair this problem at no cost, but until then, they will immediately disconnect the rear subwoofer as a precaution for owners. The recall notices will be sent out in mid-February, according to Knight. TOYOTA RECALLS CERTAIN 2011-2012 MODEL YEAR AVALON VEHICLES TORRANCE, Calif., January 28, 2015 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., today announced plans to conduct a safety recall of approximately 52,000 Model Year 2011-2012 Avalon sedans. In the involved vehicles, cargo could contact one of the audio system subwoofer wires located inside the trunk, and move the wire out of its normal position. If one of these wires contacts the metal frame of the subwoofer, it may result in an intermittent short circuit. If this occurs, the subwoofer could overheat, increasing the risk of a fire. Toyota is not aware of any crashes, injuries, or fatalities caused by this condition. Owners of the involved vehicles will receive a notification by first class mail. Toyota dealers will provide a repair for the audio system. Until the remedy is available, as a precaution, Toyota dealers will disconnect the rear subwoofer. Detailed information is available at www.toyota.com/recall and by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331. ###