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THE Japanese motor industry, stricken by the devastation caused by the recent earthquake and tsunami, is on the road to recovery.
Hajime Sakaguchi, general manager of Middle East and Southwest Asia - sales and marketing division, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), revealed during a visit to Ebrahim K. Kanoo that the production of Toyota and Lexus vehicles and shipments to the Middle East would be ‘normalised’ earlier than expected.
He said: “The road towards achieving normal production and full recovery is expected much sooner than anticipated. Although supply levels were affected in the last two months, and although our global production level is still below normal, we prioritised the Middle East market and expect to reach full shipping levels much earlier than expected.”
However, production disruption will likely see Toyota lose its title as the world’s largest carmaker this year. Yet, the company reiterated its plan to restore output to pre-quake levels by November, helped by a recovery in the supply chain for key parts, and expressed confidence it could claw back market share.
In an encouraging sign for carmakers, chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corporation said it now expected to restore supply capacity lost due to quake damage by the end of September, one month earlier than previously planned.
Renesas, the world’s biggest maker of microcontrollers, had become one of the biggest bottlenecks in the automotive supply chain that forced car firms to curb production.
During his Bahrain visit, Mr Sakaguchi awarded Ebrahim K. Kanoo chairman Mohammed Kanoo and vice-chairman Fuad Kanoo with the ‘Toyota Marketing Award for Excellence – Vehicles’ and the ‘Toyota Marketing Award – Overall’ for E.K. Kanoo’s ‘outstanding achievements and inspirational investments’ in the Toyota and Lexus brands.
Mr Sakaguchi also expressed TMC’s admiration for the company’s sales growth rate and the after-sales services. The Toyota officials were shown around the new Lexus showroom, Sitra, which is considered to be one of the most sophisticated and luxurious in the region.
E.K. Kanoo director Ebrahim Kanoo later guided the group to the newly-opened Toyota Plaza in Tubli, its one-stop-shop service centre.
