Toyota President Touts Faster Output Recovery
SEOUL — Toyota Motor Corp. is having a faster-than-expected recovery from the shortage of auto parts caused by the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan, and expects production will be fully back to normal in November, the company's president said Saturday.
"Currently, we have only 30 vehicle parts on a short supply and the restoration efforts in Japan are picking up speed despite aftershocks," Toyota President Akio Toyoda told reporters in Seoul.
Mr. Toyoda reiterated that the disrupted domestic production lines will reach about 90 percent of normal volume at the end of June, which is higher than the previous 70 percent projected by Japan's top auto maker last month. The auto maker first released its improved production forecast on Tuesday, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Toyota had restarted all its domestic production lines by mid-April following the March 11 natural disaster, but at only about 50 percent of normal volume.
Mr. Toyoda said he was visiting Seoul to explain the company's restoration efforts to encourage dealerships in the neighboring country.
This is his first visit to Seoul since he became president of Toyota in June 2009. He had earlier visited the U.S. and China to explain what Toyota was doing to cope with the massive recalls due to faulty parts between 2009 and 2010.
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