CAR PRODUCTION
Toyota seeks to vary line-up amid Corolla’s decline
The car maker wants to use the spare capacity created by lower Corolla output
Toyota SA wants to add another vehicle to its local production line-up to absorb spare capacity created by diminishing demand for its Corolla car range. CEO Andrew Kirby said: "We are investigating another vehicle to make use of the capacity no longer used by Corolla." He would not identify candidates and did not say whether Toyota SA would continue to build Corollas indefinitely. Toyota’s Prospecton assembly plant in Durban has annual capacity to build 84,000 Corollas. In 2016, it assembled only 17,728. That number includes the latest Corolla and the Quest, a cheaper version based on the previous-generation Corolla. Once the dominant product at Prospecton, Corolla is now a junior partner to the Hilux bakkie and its Fortuner sport utility sibling. In 2016, Toyota built 93,063 Hiluxes and Fortuners, from capacity of 120,000. Prospecton also builds the Quantum taxi and Hino trucks. Not only is Hilux SA’s best-selling vehicle — a title once held by Corolla — but it also dominates Toyot...
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