Toyota halves RAV4 plant production

Woodstock, Ontario -- Toyota Motor Corp. will cut sport utility vehicle production at a yet-to-open plant in Woodstock, Ontario, by 50 percent, the Japanese automaker said Friday.

The automaker said it would start one shift of about 1,200 workers instead of two shifts of more than 2,000 when production of the RAV4 compact crossover SUV starts in November.

The company, which initially planned annual production of about 150,000, will now produce 75,000 RAV4 vehicles a year, Toyota said.

"With the weak condition of the overall automotive market in North America, we must continually re-evaluate the situation," Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. President Ray Tanguay said in a statement.

"Our eventual plan to operate two shifts at Woodstock, producing 150,000
vehicles per year, has not changed," he said.

The company will increase production "as soon as conditions permit," he said.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.