LONDON — Toyota Motor’s European subsidiary has revealed it will suspend operations at its factories in the U.K. and France on Tuesday in response to the spread of the coronavirus variant that has stopped the flow of logistics between the countries.
The factories were planned to close for winter vacation on Thursday, but Toyota has made the decision to close two days earlier.
Toyota’s engine factory in the U.K. will close on Tuesday while its other plant will shut down on Wednesday.
The company believes the suspensions will cause no problems to its production of cars as it has a large parts inventory. But as logistics freeze between the U.K. and France, the automaker decided to halt operations at the factories to lessen any damage that may be caused.
On Monday, all travel from the U.K. to France was suspended for 48 hours. Trucks from France have been stuck in the U.K., which led to a long line of trucks around the Port of Dover in southeast England.
Companies have been increasing their inventories to prepare for a breakdown in trade negotiations between the U.K. and EU, which is why there were a large number of trucks on the road, adding turmoil to the situation.