Japanese car manufacturer Toyota Motor Corporation will halt auto production at its two manufacturing facilities in the United Kingdom (UK) and one plant in France earlier than scheduled for Christmas, due to transport delays, state media reports.
The new COVID-19 strain spreading across the UK has made many countries close their border with the nation. These closures have resulted in logistics chaos across the country.
In France, the company said that the border closure has disrupted auto parts’ transportation after the 48-hour ban on freight or cargo from the UK. It has led to queues of lorries miles long stuck near Dover.
In the UK, the company’s Deeside engine plant has been closed for Christmas on Tuesday, and the Burnaston plant will shut down on Wednesday.
The extended shutdown of the manufacturing plants has added to the woes of the automotive industry this year.
Many companies were forced to halt production in spring this year as the first wave of the pandemic spread across the globe.