Toyota will be able to boost its US production sooner than expected following a devastating Japanese quake and tsunami which disrupted supply lines, the automaker said Wednesday.
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| The emblem of a Toyota car for sale at a Toyota dealer in Hollywood, California in February 2011. |
Overall North American production will reach 70 percent of normal levels in June, up from approximately 30 percent in June.
Toyota had previously forecast that North American production would not start to ramp up again until August.
"Our team members and suppliers are working closely on countermeasure activities to improve the parts condition from Japan," said Steve St. Angelo, vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America.
"We continue to develop solutions in order to restore 100 percent production as soon as possible for all of our North American-made vehicles."
Toyota said it hopes to fully normalize production by late this year.
Models returning to 100 percent production in June are Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, Sequoia, Sienna and Venza.
Earlier Wednesday, Toyota Motor said fourth quarter net profit tumbled 77 percent to 25.4 billion yen ($314 million).
Like many of its Japanese peers, Toyota declined to give a forecast for the current year as it assesses the impact of the March 11 disaster.
The 9.0-magnitude earthquake and the resulting tsunami hammered production, shattered supply chains and crippled electricity-generating facilities, including a nuclear power plant at the centre of an ongoing atomic emergency.
