Toyota and Lexus May production cut due to Shanghai lockdown

Production issues for Toyota and Lexus continue, as the Japanese manufacturers announced they are suspending production at some plants throughout May.

Affecting a total of 14 production lines across eight sites in Japan, the suspension of operations will take place from May 16 to 21 with Toyota pinning the blame on lockdowns in Shanghai, China, preventing it from securing parts necessary to keep cars rolling off the production line.

The six-day shutdown has reduced the month's projected output of vehicles by 50,000, with roughly 700,000 units now expected to roll off the production lines by the end of May.

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Although it's not known whether the Australian market will be impacted, a number of Toyota models are caught up in the problem, including; the Mirai, GR Yaris, LandCruiser, Corolla, RAV4, Prius, Prado, C-HR and Hiace.

Luxury sub-brand Lexus is also facing production shortages, covering its LS, IS, RC, RC F, NX, UX, ES, RX and LX lines.

The announcement comes less than two months after Toyota had already confirmed plans to cut production volumes in the second quarter of 2022, reducing May output by 10 per cent ahead of an expected five per cent drop across June.