Toyota Motor Corp has suspended sales and deliveries of its Yaris Ativ model in Thailand. The news came after Toyota’s affiliate, Daihatsu, was found to have rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests. Toyota and Daihatsu are looking into how a door component was altered during side-collision safety tests on around 88,000 subcompact automobiles. The Yaris Ativ is primarily bound for Thailand, Mexico, and the Gulf Cooperation Council, with some 76,000 affected vehicles being Yaris Ativs.
Pressure on Daihatsu to expedite Ativ’s development may have contributed to the problem, according to Masahiko Maeda, Toyota’s CEO for the Asia region. He stated that the customers who were currently using the vehicle were safe and that, in order to resume sales of the vehicle, which was made at Toyota’s Gateway plant in the province of Chachoengsao, Toyota was collaborating with the Thai government. Further investigation is underway to ensure that the issue does not occur again.
Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda addresses at a press conference in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 8, 2023, about faking safety tests by its affiliate Daihatsu, which damaged 88,000 automobiles.
The Main Safety Issue
Daihatsu is known for producing little automobiles. Therefore Maeda speculated that the business may have had difficulties due to the large size of the Yaris Ativ. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, who has a personal attachment to Thailand, visited the Gateway plant to assure workers that the issue would be resolved.
For Daihatsu, Southeast Asia is an important market, with production facilities in Indonesia and Malaysia. The company became a wholly-owned Toyota subsidiary in 2016 when Toyoda was president. The Yaris Ativ is an important model for Toyota and Daihatsu, and the suspension of sales and deliveries is a setback for the companies.
It remains to be seen how long the suspension of sales and deliveries will last and what impact it will have on Toyota and Daihatsu’s operations in Thailand and other markets. However, the companies’ swift action in response to the safety issue is commendable and underscores their commitment to ensuring the safety of their customers.
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