Photo of 2016 Prius Four courtesy of Toyota.

Photo of 2016 Prius Four courtesy of Toyota.

Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production at assembly plants in Japan next week due to a steel factory explosion that will delay shipments of the new 2016 Prius hybrid.

All assembly lines will halt production from Feb. 8 to Feb. 13, the company announced in a statement. The stoppage stems from a Jan. 8 explosion at an Aichi Steel Corp. manufacturing facility that has caused parts shortages.

"Toyota will continue to take any measures necessary to minimize the impact of this incident on vehicle production," according to the statement. "Such measures may include production on alternate lines operated by Aichi Steel and procurement from other steelmakers."

Toyota counts on Japan for 40% of its vehicle production, including all assembly of the Prius and some Lexus model such as the NX compact SUV, reports Bloomberg.

Toyota will resume plant operations on Feb. 15.

Originally posted on Automotive Fleet

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