Automakers just can’t catch a break, can they? Toyota Motor Corporation, after multiple plant shutdowns over the past year or so, is now halting production in its home market of Japan yet again.
According to a report by Reuters, the Japanese carmaker was forced to suspend factory operations in Japan after Kojima Industries—Toyota’s supplier of plastic parts and electronic components—was hit by a suspected cyberattack.
The 14 affected manufacturing plants—which include those operated by affiliates Hino Motors and Daihatsu—account for a third of Toyota’s global production. This domestic shutdown will set the carmaker back around 13,000 units.
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No word yet on who was behind the attack, but it can be noted that this incident comes just after Japan announced its support to block Russian access to the SWIFT payment system. However, the Japanese government will still need to investigate the situation further to find out whether or not Russia was involved.
“It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks,” said Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida.
Toyota has big plans for the upcoming fiscal year, as it intends to set a record with 11 million vehicles produced in FY2022. If the company wants to meet that goal, then it should ensure incidents like these are avoided at all costs.
