Toyota stops production of three models at least until June 28

Nagoya, June 5 (Jiji Press) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday that the company will suspend production of three vehicle models that had certification irregularities from Thursday to June 28.

The leading Japanese automaker will decide at a later date whether to maintain the suspension in July and beyond as the Transport Ministry’s investigation into type approval testing fraud is ongoing.

Of the three models affected by the ministry’s order to suspend deliveries and sales, Toyota produces the Yaris Cross SUV at its Miyagi Ohira and Iwate plants in northeastern Japan, and the Corolla Fielder station wagon and Corolla Axio sedan at its Miyagi Ohira plant. The total annual production of the three models is about 130,000 units.

Mazda Motor Corp. has decided to stop production of the Roadster RF convertible and the Mazda 2 subcompact car starting Thursday after similar malfunctions were discovered in both models. Mazda produces about 15,000 of these models annually.

The company will decide on the timing of resuming production after reviewing the results of the ministry’s upcoming on-site inspection at the automaker.

(Copyright: The Jiji Press, Ltd.)