Toyota to halt production for a week in Tianjin

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp plans to temporarily halt production at its major joint venture plant in Tianjin, according to Japanese media reports on Tuesday.

A Toyota car with a sticker attached to the rear can be seen along a main road in central Beijing October 16, 2012. A Toyota Motor Corp spokesman said last week that sales in China fell 48.9 percent in September from a year earlier, while Honda Motor Co reported its sales in China fell 40.5 percent. Japanese car makers reported tumbling sales in China for September, confirming the impact of a territorial row between the two countries and raising concerns that their market share in the world's biggest auto market will continue to shrink. The sticker reads, "Japanese car, Chinese heart". [Photo/Agencies]

According to Nikkei newspaper, two of the three production lines at Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co Ltd, a joint venture between Toyota Motor and China's FAW Group Corp, will be closed for a week from Oct 22, affecting production of Toyota's Crown and Reiz models.

The remaining production line, which mainly produces smaller cars such as the Vigo, will stop manufacturing on Oct 22 and Oct 26, said the report.

Another Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun confirmed the reported week-long production halt. It also said that during the week, the company will adjust its future production plans.

However, a Toyota China official told China Daily that the Japanese automaker always produces its vehicles according to orders.

"We have never drawn up such a detailed plan based on market forecasts."

Tianjin FAW Toyota is the largest of the Japanese automaker's nine production facilities in China, and is responsible for around 60 percent of the company's total output in the nation. In 2011, around 500,000 vehicles rolled off the production line at the Tianjin plant.

Last week, Japanese automakers reported a huge decline in sales in September in China amid rising anger over Japan's illegal "purchase" of China's Diaoyu Islands.

Toyota's September sales in China dropped by 48.9 percent year-on-year to 44,100 units, the largest decline since January 2008.

Honda Motor Co also reported a monthly sales dive of 40.5 percent from last year, with sales of 33,931 units in September, the lowest since May 2011.