Toyota suspends operations as automobile chip shortage worsens in Czech

*Toyota Motor Corporation says its Kolin factory in Czech Republic will be on break from Monday, March 22, due to low supplies of semiconductors caused by production delays

Isola Moses | ConsumerConnect

Toyota Motor Corporation is suspending operations at a plant in the Czech Republic for two weeks due to chip shortages.

Industry observers consider the decision as the latest production halt at the Japanese automaker relating to supply-chain disruptions.

The company’s Spokeswoman Shiori Hashimoto Saturday, March 20, said the Kolin factory will be on break from Monday, March 22, due to low supplies of semiconductors caused by production delays after the cold weather in the United States (US), Bloomberg report said.

The facility assembles the compact car Aygo for the European market.

The weather-induced shortage is a new factor for the auto industry, which had already been dealing with low chip supplies stemming from increased demand by consumers working and spending more time at home during the pandemic.

Cold weather in North America is also disrupting petrochemical and raw-material supplies used for automobile manufacturing.