Toyota to Resume Production in North America by April 20

Following Ford’s announcement to resume its operations by April 14, Toyota has also expressed its hopes to do the same for its vehicle production in North America on April 20.

The Japanese automaker’s factories have been idle since March 23 for a scheduled deep-cleaning of its facilities due to growing coronavirus concerns. After the cleaning operations, however, Toyota said it would extend the closure until April 3 due to rising fears brought by the increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in America.

At the moment, Toyota’s plants are scheduled to remain closed until April 17, with all North American vehicle production set to resume on April 20. The company specifically cited the COVID-19 pandemic and low vehicle demand as reasons for its factories prolonged closure.

Toyota’s vehicle parts departments and logistics centers, however, will remain open, subject to change depending on the situation.

The automaker is currently operating 10 manufacturing facilities across the U.S. and a total of 14 facilities in the entire North American region. This includes the plant in San Antonio, Texas where the Tacoma and Tundra are being built. Meanwhile, Toyota’s Indiana facility produces the current Sequoia, Sienna, and Highlander. The plant in Kentucky is in charge of the Camry, Avalon, RAV4 Hybrid, and Lexus ES construction, while the plant in Mississippi builds the Corolla. Factories across Canada and Mexico produce the RAV4, Tacoma, and Lexus RX.

According to earlier reports, Ford will resume productions at its Hermosillo, Mexico plant on April 6. It will be followed by the reopening of the Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan on April 14 when the state lifts its stay-at-home order. The Kansas City Assembly Plant’s Transit Line, the Kentucky Truck Plant, and the Ohio Assembly Plant are also scheduled to resume operations on April 14.