Reuters is reporting that the only Lexus plant outside of Japan will also be idling its production, as the Toyota factory in Cambridge, Ontario will halt RX 350 production for five days in January.
This news comes after a report that the Lexus plants in Japan would be offline for ten days during December. Both of these moves relate directly to the massive downturn in auto sales the world over.
One fact to consider with the Cambridge plant: This week in January could also be related to the upcoming 2010 RX 350, which is expected to arrive in dealerships sometime in February 2009. I wonder, would it take a whole week to retool the factory line to accommodate a new model? Seems like a reasonable timeframe to me.
Update: According to five emails I received over the last 24 hours, it looks like I was correct. The Lexus line will be going offline in January to retool for the new 2010 RX, and not to reduce inventory.
[Source: Reuters]