COVID-19: Toyota RAV4, Lexus RX Production Grind To a Halt
Toyota Canada has decided to temporarily suspend its manufacturing operations in Ontario due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
According to a report by Automotive News Canada, there have been eight positive COVID-19 cases in the past few weeks at one of its major suppliers, Toyotetsu, which is based in Simcoe northwest of Toronto.
Around 1,200 people work at Toyotetsu to make body and chassis parts for all three of Toyota Canada’s assembly plants in the province.
Production is therefore halted at the North (Cambridge), South (Cambridge) and West (Woodstock) facilities. This is where the extremely popular Toyota RAV4 and Lexus RX are built, including their hybrid variants except for the RAV4 Prime.
The RAV4 largely dominated Canadian SUV sales in 2020 with 57,952 units. In the first quarter of 2021, it sold 15,665 units, up 44.8 percent from the same period a year ago when the pandemic began to hit the country.
Toyota is working closely with the Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit regarding the safe restarting of operations. No date has been set yet.