THAILAND: Japanese automotive manufacturer Toyota Motor Corp. has halted sales and delivery of its Yaris Ativ in Thailand, senior officials announced on Monday, after one of its affiliates, Daihatsu, rigged a part of the door during side collision safety tests.
Masahiko Maeda, the CEO of Toyota for Asia, stated the issue may have arisen as a result of pressure during the Ativ model’s development. He also said that the vehicles that consumers were driving were secure.
“This type of situation would not have occurred if development had taken place under proper conditions,” said the CEO.
“I believe the fact that it still occurred indicates that there was some kind of pressure at the construction site,” he stated.
He said that the vehicle’s relatively huge size may have presented a difficulty to Daihatsu, which specialised in the production of compact automobiles.
Last month, Toyota and Daihatsu revealed they were looking into how a door component in side-collision safety tests for over 88,000 small cars had been modified for side-on crash safety testing.
Approximately 76,000 of those vehicles, according to Daihatsu, were Yaris Ativs, mostly headed for Thailand, Mexico, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates make up the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Akio Toyoda, the Toyota Chairman, said he had travelled to the company’s Gateway facility in Chachoengsao province for the first time in a decade to reassure workers. He also said he had travelled to the Southeast Asian country because he loved it.
Thailand holds a special place in Toyota’s heart; he once referred to it as his “home away from home” during an event honouring Toyota’s 60th year of business there.
He has stated that the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej was the sole world leader to have voiced confidence in the company after a series of large-scale recalls sparked American probes and necessitated his testimony before Congress in 2010.
Koji Sato, who replaced Toyoda as president of Toyota on April 1, was not present for the press conference.
Southeast Asia is a key market for Daihatsu, which in 2016, under Toyoda’s presidency, changed its status to become a wholly owned Toyota subsidiary and has production facilities in Indonesia and Malaysia but no factories in Thailand.
Thailand is fourth in terms of Toyota’s production volume behind Japan, the US, and China. About 659,000 vehicles, including those for its luxury brand Lexus, were made in the country last year.
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