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| The Cruiser all bruisers love to hate. |
Toyota was forced to shut down some manufacturing in December 2021, including production for the Land Cruiser, impacting output of up to 20 000 vehicles.
The latest suspensions impact 20 assembly lines in 12 plants of 14 Toyota plants in Japan, including the Yoshiwara Plant where the Land Cruiser 300 and Land Cruiser 70 models are built.
The world’s biggest car builder said in a statement that the continuing shortage of parts caused by the rapid spread of Omicron in Japan, has led to further adjustments and a revised production plan for February that was announced last Friday, which stemmed from shortage of semiconductor-related parts.
With regard to February production, Toyota has reduced the lines that are down to seven in six plants, from last week’s 11 lines in eight plants, as parts that were scheduled to be used during the January suspension can now be used next month, allowing some plants and lines originally scheduled to be suspended to operate. The resumed production includes the Takaoka Plant where Corolla, Corolla Touring and Corolla Cross models are built.
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Regarding the new Land Cruiser, Toyota last Friday warned buyers it would take up to four years to deliver.
“We sincerely apologise for the fact that Land Cruiser has been very well received not only in Japan but also around the world, and it is expected that it will take a long time to deliver it after receiving an order. The delivery time for ordering from now on may be about four years. We will do our utmost to shorten the delivery time for our customers, and we appreciate your understanding,” the translated statement read.
However, as vehicle allocation is market specific the waiting time for the two models allocated to South Africa, the GX-R, ZX and GR-S, with prices starting at R1 283 200, is about a year. To combat scalping, Toyota Japan has banned local buyers from reselling their LC300 for a year after buying it.
(First published in Witness Wheels.)
