NAGOYA: Toyota Motor Corp. will push back the start of its first US electric vehicle production from 2025 to the spring of 2026, it was learned Thursday.

The production launch delay was decided to ease pressure on suppliers and all other companies involved in developing a new battery SUV for the US market, people familiar with the matter said, adding that the move will help make a quality vehicle.

Behind the decision is a recent series of vehicle data falsifications for safety certification in the Toyota group believed to have been caused by excessive time pressure on engineers and other plant workers.

In an effort to prevent such misconduct from happing again by giving factory workers leeway, Toyota has already reduced the group’s domestic daily vehicle output to less than 14,000 units from nearly 15,000 units.

The automaker is also overhauling its short-sighted new model development plans to focus more on strengthening the foundation for future growth.

Last May, Toyota announced a plan to assemble the brand-new three-row electric SUV at its Kentucky plant starting in 2025 and build a lithium-ion battery factory in North Carolina for the EV production foothold.

JIJI Press