Toyota postpones plans to set up plant in Ghana
Toyota Motor Corporation has deferred its plans to establish a car assembly plant in Ghana due to the coronavirus scourge.
The largest car manufacturer in the world by volume had scheduled August 2020 to commence local production. However, the deadly contagion, which has ravaged many countries across the globe, has slowed the process.
The Head of Sales at Toyota Ghana, Andrew Lamptey, said a definite date for the rescheduled opening of the plant would be communicated as soon as the government eases border restrictions.
“So the manufacturers would issue a statement very soon. Unfortunately, due to this COVID-19, there have been some delays because of the closure of our borders.
“Definitely we couldn’t get all the support from our manufacturers, but they will issue a statement when the borders are opened with clear modalities, and the progress will be made available to all of us,” he told Joy News.
He said the government was doing everything possible to provide support to ensure that they bring the local plant to fruition.
Toyota sees 80% profit drop as virus wipes $14 billion off car sales
“[The] government is offering very perfect assistance to ensure that everything is put in place for the assembly plant to happen live in Ghana,” he further noted.
The deadly coronavirus was first recorded in Asia and Japan where Toyota has its headquarters has reported 16,683 with 867 deaths and 14,147 recoveries. The country has just about 1,669 active cases as of Friday, May 29, according to tracking website Wordometer.
The contagion had impacted the production and sales of the company’s cars in Japan and across the globe with temporary shutdowns when the virus peaked.
Worldwide sales by Toyota Motor Corporation which comprise of Toyota, Daihatsu and Hino for the April was 472,703, with a year on year percentage decrease of about 45.3%. Sales of Toyota cars alone totalled 423,302 representing a 46.3% cut. This represents a fourth consecutive month of decline for the entire company.
Outside Japan, total sales for the month was 334,817, a 51.3% year on year cut. Sales of Toyota cars alone was 325,739, a 51.1% dip.
Toyota expects to take a whopping 1.5 trillion yen ($13.95 billion) hit from a fall in global vehicle sales this year due largely to the virus.