SHENZHEN ¨C Toyota Motor has halted production on some aging lines at joint venture in China while operations continue as normal, the Japanese automaker said Saturday after a media report that it was partially suspending production due to weak sales.
The production halt at the Tianjin venture with China¡¯s FAW was a planned move, and Toyota is adjusting production on a daily basis based on changes in vehicle composition, a spokesperson said by email.
The email did not specifically address the Friday report by Japan¡¯s Jiji news service that the world¡¯s largest automaker by sales was suspending some production as part of a major production adjustment in response to weak sales of gasoline-engine cars.
The spokesperson did not immediately respond to follow-up requests for comment. A FAW representative did not respond to a request for comment on the Jiji report.
Reuters reported last month that Toyota had told dealers it would extend a plan to reduce output at the FAW venture.
Slowing sales pose a growing challenge to Toyota in China, which accounted for nearly a fifth of Toyota¡¯s worldwide sales of about 8.5 million vehicles over the first 10 months of the year, including sales of its luxury Lexus brand.
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