Snapshot
- Production pauses have hampered supply since August
- Toyota now aims to build between 850,000-900,000 vehicles next month
- RHD LC300s will be among those produced
Toyota says it will be restarting production over and above its usual capacity next month – including that of the long-awaited LandCruiser 300 Series, following months of COVID-19 and semiconductor-related production delays.
With a projected target of between 850,000 to 900,000 vehicles set to be produced in November, this number will eclipse the company's 11th-month record of 830,000 units built last year – potentially allowing it to reach a 12-month high of nine million vehicles.
Crucially, the highly-anticipated LandCruiser 300 Series will be one of the models going back on the production line after its factory was affected over the past few months, with right-hand drive models set for Australia to begin their trip to the local market throughout November.
Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, Sean Hanley, said he is optimistic the first examples of the LC300 will arrive in Australia before Christmas, although HiLux and Fortuner could be impacted by production delays in Thailand.
"We are optimistic the all-new LandCruiser will start arriving at local dealerships in Australia in December, with retail launch timing to be confirmed," said Hanley.
"Together with our parent company, we are doing everything we can to get customers into their new Toyota vehicles as soon as possible, whether it's the all-new LandCruiser or any other model that is in high demand.
"As the availability of supply is an evolving situation around the world, we are continuing to work closely with our global production team to secure the maximum possible number of vehicles for our customers.
"We apologise to customers experiencing delays and we sincerely thank them for their patience. We ask our customers to please contact their local dealer for updates on the status of their individual orders."
As reported by Wheels, Toyota is reportedly aiming to build 97,000 more vehicles between December and the end of March than previously planned, owing to the lost production since August.
Toyota Australia last provided an update at the start of the month, saying one-third of its models will be delayed by four months or less, up to three-quarters of its range could be postponed by as much as six months.
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