Toyota South Africa Motors says it has halted production at its Prospecton plant south of Durban thanks to flood damage arising from a massive storm.
Andrew Kirby, president and CEO of Toyota SA Motors, said that there was “significant damage” to the facility, including to buildings, equipment and vehicles on the production line.
Toyota manufactures the Corolla, Corolla Quest, Hilux, Fortuner and Quantum – and also assembles selected Hino products – at the Prospecton plant.
“Our first priority was to ensure the safety of our employees and I’m pleased to report that there were no injuries resulting from this morning’s downpour,” Kirby said in a statement.
“Production for now has been halted at the facility for the rest of today [Tuesday] and tomorrow to enable us to quantify the extent of the damage.
“We’ll then reassess the situation again on Thursday and decide if we can resume normal manufacturing,” Kirby added.