Following various sanctions imposed on the European country for invading Ukraine, Toyota has announced it will halt exports to Russia and production in the country
On Thursday, Toyota noted that the sanctions affected logistics and supply chains.
“Toyota is watching the ongoing developments in Ukraine with great concern for the safety of people of Ukraine and hopes for a safe return to peace as soon as possible,” the company said in a statement.
It added, “Toyota Motor Russia will stop production at its St-Petersburg plant from 4 March and has stopped imports of vehicles, until further notice, due to supply chain disruptions.”
Toyota is Russia’s top Japanese brand, producing about 80,000 vehicles at its St. Petersburg plant, which has a workforce of 2,000 employees. The company said it would stop production at its St-Petersburg plant from March 4, and halted vehicle imports until further notice, due to supply chain disruptions.
The decision came after Honda and Mazda announced a halt of exports to Russia, citing similar difficulties in procuring parts and logistical barriers.
Mitsubishi also said it might suspend production and sales in Russia, but Nissan announced it would continue operations in the country while observing the situation there.
Mercedes-Benz, Ford and BMW announced halting exports to Russia.
Global shipping lines, MSC and.Maersk also suspended container shipping to and from the country.
Maersk said on Wednesday that shipments of foodstuffs and medical supplies to Russia risk being damaged or spoiled due to significant delays at ports and customs.
The Japanese carmaker is among the few taking a major stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Outside Japan, only South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan havestood against Russia.
In line with the sanctions imposed by Western powers, brands such as Apple, Amazon, H&M and Nike had taken steps to distance themselves from Russia like halting sales