(Tokyo) A giant computer failure has paralyzed production at 12 of the 14 Toyota group factories in Japan since Tuesday morning, but the world’s number one carmaker said it did not suspect a cyberattack at this stage.
“Twelve auto factories, covering 25 production lines, are unable to order parts due to a system failure,” a Toyota spokeswoman said. “At this time, we do not believe this is a cyberattack,” she added.
Toyota shares, which started higher on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Tuesday, fell into the red after the news and fell about 0.6% around 10:20 p.m. (ET) while the Nikkei index gained. 0.16%.
Last year, Toyota was forced to suspend all production in Japan for a day due to a cyberattack that hit one of its suppliers, Kojima Industries.
After being mainly affected last year by disruptions in supply chains and shortages of semiconductors, Toyota’s global production has accelerated sharply since the beginning of this year.
Its global production exceeded 5.6 million vehicles in the first six months of 2023, an increase of 10.3% over one year and a new half-year record for the group, according to figures published at the end of July.
The group (which also includes its Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino brands) plans to sell 11.38 million vehicles worldwide in its current fiscal year 2023-24, which would be a new record and an increase of 7.8% over a year.
