Japan disaster shakes Toyota green car plans

Toyota announced a series of production date changes following the devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan in early March.



The company recently restarted production of replacement parts, as well as the production of overseas products.


On the down side, the company has decided to postpone at least one model, a Prius-derivative that would have been available in the Japanese market this April. 



Known as the Prius v, Toyota is delaying the American rollout of the vehicle as well.

We recently reported on the v at this year’s Detroit Auto Show, and noted that the vehicle was originally planed for a late summer release in the U.S. market. 

At this time no new timetable has been set for release in either country.

There is some good news, however, as the company announced that three models went back into production starting March 28th. 



The Prius will once again be manufactured at Toyota’s Tsutsumi plant, and the Lexus CT 200h and HS 250h will be restarted into production at Toyota Motor Kyushu.


The company expects to release further plans as they become available regarding changes due to the catastrophe that continues to cause major complications in Japan and around the world, including the closure of some U.S plants.

* Aaron Colter, EarthTechling