(Tokyo) Global auto giant Toyota on Thursday announced the suspension “until further notice” of its production in Russia from Friday, as well as its imports into the country, citing related “supply chain disruptions” to the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Posted at 7:40 p.m.
Its Saint Petersburg plant produced 80,000 vehicles last year, mainly for the local market, and employs “about 2,600 people”, a spokeswoman for Toyota, whose sales in Russia are marginal, told AFP. at group level.
The “disruptions to the supply chain” mentioned by the group in a press release are linked to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and the international sanctions that have since fallen on Russia, confirmed this spokesperson.
Toyota said in its statement “follow the ongoing developments in Ukraine with great concern for the safety of the Ukrainian people” and “hope for a return to peace as soon as possible”.
“As a company with operations in Ukraine and Russia, our priority in managing this crisis is to ensure the safety of all of our team members, retailer staff and supply chain partners” , the group added.
“Other production and sales operations in the rest of Europe are not affected,” he said.
Other Japanese automakers, including Honda and Mazda, have temporarily stopped exporting vehicles or parts to Russia due to international sanctions against Moscow, according to local media.
A spokeswoman for Nissan, which also has a factory in Saint Petersburg, told AFP on Thursday that its production there continued for the moment, while “closely following” the evolution of the situation.