As Car and Driver reported, one reason is that the carmaker made a strategic shift after the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami in 2011. Toyota started to rely more on stockpiling components for use during emergencies. Previously, the brand had been using a "just in time" component delivery system.

The updated system includes using a database called Rescue that contains information about thousands of parts stored at 650,000 supplier sites. This is meant to help the automaker bypass bottlenecks if a supplier is put out of commission.

The system works well until more than one supplier gets knocked out, which is why Toyota must now reduce production.

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Changes coming to Toyota plants starting in September

MORE:

EV Sales Are Growing This Year, Despite the Microchip Shortage

Toyota has announced it will dramatically reduce its output starting in September, cutting that month’s planned production of 900,000 to about 540,000. Some of Toyota’s North American facilities will start cutting production in August, building between 140,000 and 170,000 fewer vehicles in the two months.

Even though the microchip shortage is partly to blame for this, it’s not the entire reason that the carmaker decided to cut production. Toyota said that COVID-19 and other unexpected events have disrupted the supply chain and caused additional shortages.

The 2022 Toyota Tundra will be produced as scheduled

One Toyota facility in North America won’t be affected by the production cuts—the San Antonio plant that produces the Toyota Tacoma. The plant is about to start on the 2022 Toyota Tundra.

The 2022 Tundra has been highly anticipated. According to Toyota, the company needs to finish up current model production within a certain timeline to meet the schedule for the new Tundra. It will be prioritizing microchips for the San Antonio plant.

What’s new with the Toyota Tundra?

The Toyota Tundra will finally see big upgrades after more than a decade.

Toyota has not released much information about the new Tundra besides a few photos. According to

Motor Authority

, Toyota has confirmed that the Tundra will have a power-sliding rear window that retracts down into the back of the cab.

The interior will feature a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system and speakers mounted on the A-pillars. The Tundra will also have a new iForce Max powertrain that will most likely replace the current 5.7-liter V-8 iForce setup.

Other carmakers have been impacted by the chip shortage

Toyota is not the only carmaker implementing production changes because of recent events.

According to the

Wall Street Journal

, Ford and General Motors recently announced they will be scheduling more downtime at North American facilities due to COVID-19-related restrictions overseas.

Buying a car can be a lot more expensive than usual because of inventory shortages. If you want to save money on car insurance,

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Toyota

Written By

Lisa Steuer McArdle · Expert Insurance Writer

Lisa Steuer McArdle is an insurance writer with over 15 years of experience writing and editing content in a variety of industries, including insurance and personal finance. Lisa specializes in taking deep dives into make and model-specific content that helps car owners and buyers make solid money-saving choices. Lisa has written over 350 articles for Jerry on topics including electric vehicles to classic cars. Before joining Jerry, Lisa worked in various aspects of the printing industry as a content writer, developer, and editor and earned her bachelor’s degree in creative writing from Lycoming College.

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