Market leader strives for optimism as parts shortages hobble production.

INTRODUCTION of the next big thing from Toyota will be delayed here and availability of other popular cars from the market leader seems set to sustain more hits.

Confirmation that the Toyota Land Cruiser 300 is not going to meet its October 1 launch schedule has come with comment about the implication of Toyota Motor Company in Japan saying it has suspended production across 14 of its Japanese factories.

The reason is a shortage of parts, particularly semi-conductors, the small computer chips that have become vital in modern vehicles.

TNZ has not said when the new Cruiser will come but has struck a more optimistic note in respect to the impact of this than has come from Australia and independent media comment.

The Palmerston North-based market leader acknowledges the issue will place additional pressure on customers waiting for their new Land Cruiser 300, Highlander and Corolla Hatch models.

However, thought expressed by Steve Prangnell, the Palmerston North-based operation’s general manager of new vehicles, that this will cause just a “small disruption to our vehicle supply” is particularly positive.

Comment out of Toyota Australia today, plus an international media report from the Reuters news agency in respect to TMC’s announcement, seems to paint a bleaker picture than TNZ is suggesting.

An advisory from Toyota Australia’s in respect to the 300 Series, which it also intended to release in October, says Land Cruiser production in Japan halted for part of August and will continue to be off-line for most of this month.

TMC’s decision, meantime, came after it had already temporarily halted production at a handful of plants earlier in August.

Media in Australia have speculated that at least 20 Toyota and Lexus models available to their country are destined to end up being on the list of those facing possible delays.

In reporting the August 20 decision, Reuters news agency said the delays would cut the production of around 360,000 cars accounting for 40 percent of Toyota's global monthly production.

Just 140,000 of those were due to the Japanese plant closures, as Toyota's supply chains for plants in the United States, China, Europe and other Asian countries are also affected.

With 25 Japanese lines closing for multiple days this month, Australian Toyota models said to be affected include the Yaris, Yaris Cross, GR Yaris, Corolla, RAV4, Camry, Prius, C-HR, Land Cruiser Prado, Land Cruiser 70 Series and the 300 Series.

Lexus models cited by news reports are the LC, ES, LS, IS, RC, RC F, NX, CT, UX and RX.

Prangnell, meantime, says he wants to reassure customers “that we are doing our best to minimise the impacts to their new vehicle deliveries.

“We will continue to work with our Toyota Stores, and affected customers, to maintain communication to ensure they have the best possible customer experience while waiting for their Toyota.”

“We thank our customers for their continued patience as we work through global delays that have been caused by the ongoing disruption of Covid-19.”

TNZ has faced challenges with product availability all year. In May it said that delivery times for new Toyota vehicles, and especially those in hot demand such as the hybrid RAV4 and the latest Hilux, were ranging from a four to six month wait for customers. Delivery of other new models then were delayed by up to 16 weeks due to what the brand described as production and international shipping constraints.

Regardless, TNZ has retained market leadership, a position that continued last month when the new vehicle sector was hard hit by the country going into a level four lockdown from mid-month.

It plans to release the Land Cruiser 300 in VRX, VRX Limited and GR Sport editions.