Toyota halts production

Toyota halts production

TOKYO (DPA): Japan's biggest car-maker, Toyota Motor Corp., said Wednesday it will suspend manufacturing cars in Thailand until the end of this year due to slow sales in that country.

Toyota will temporarily halt production of passenger cars at two of its plants - one in Samrong, southeast of Bangkok, and the other in Chachoengsao, east of the capital, from November 10 and 17 respectively, officials said.

A Toyota spokeswoman said, however, that the company hopes to resume production early next year, depending on the market situation.

There are a total of 4,700 employees at the two factories but Toyota will not lay them off, the spokeswoman said.

Toyota's automotive sales in Thailand during the nine months from January through September have amounted to 95,000 units, or a 20 per cent fall from the corresponding period last year, according to the spokeswoman.