Toyota Motor Corp, the Japanese automobile giant, has halted sales and deliveries of its Yaris Ativ model in Thailand after Daihatsu, its affiliate, was found to have rigged a portion of the car’s door in side-collision safety tests. The development has raised concerns about Toyota’s quality control processes, and the company is now working with the Thai government to resume sales of the model.
Speaking at a press conference in Bangkok, Masahiko Maeda, Toyota’s CEO for the Asia region, explained that the problem might have arisen due to pressure on Daihatsu to shorten the development time of the Ativ. He added that the vehicles currently in use by customers were safe.
Last month, Toyota and Daihatsu disclosed that they were investigating changes made to part of the door in side-collision safety tests conducted on around 88,000 small cars. Daihatsu has confirmed that about 76,000 of those vehicles were Yaris Ativ models mainly bound for Thailand, Mexico, and the Gulf Cooperation Council. The Council comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman.
Further investigations into the matter are underway, and Maeda emphasized that such problems could have been avoided if development had been carried out under appropriate conditions.
Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, who has a personal attachment to Thailand, visited the Gateway plant for the first time in a decade to assure workers that the issue would be resolved. He has previously referred to Thailand as his “home away from home” and has expressed his love for the country. Toyota’s operations in Thailand date back to 1962, and the company has been a significant contributor to the country’s economy.
