The automaker said it would start one shift of about 1,200 workers instead of two shifts of more than 2,000 when production of the RAV4 compact crossover SUV starts in November.

The company, which initially planned annual production of about 150,000, will now produce 75,000 RAV4 vehicles a year, Toyota said.

With the weak condition of the overall automotive market in North America, we must continually re-evaluate the situation, Toyota Motor... // Post Chronicle

Thunder Bay MP Comuzzi to retire after 20 years in politics

THUNDER BAY -- A prominent Northern Ontario politician is calling it a career.

Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Joe Comuzzi is retiring after 20 years in federal politics.

He says he met with Prime Minister Stephen Harper last week and informed him he won't run in the next election.

Comuzzi was at one time the Liberal minister responsible for FedNor.

He sat as a Liberal until 2006, but switched to the Conservatives in June... // Sudbury Star

Toyota Motor Corp. will delay plans to add a second shift at its new assembly plant in Woodstock, Ont., amid falling global sales of its RAV4 crossover-utility vehicle - marking the first example of the U.S. sales slump affecting the Canadian operations of a Japan-based auto maker.

The new plant will open as scheduled in November, but plans for the second shift and full production of 150,000 vehicles annually have been put off indefinitely, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. president Ray Tanguay said yesterday.

"We had some concerns about how to balance our production capacity versus the market demand especially in light of what's happening in North America now," Mr. Tanguay said yesterday. "As we look at Woodstock we want to make sure we feel secure enough about when we start the... // ReportonBusiness.com

Toyota Motor Corp. is ramping down its initial production plans for its new assembly plant in Woodstock, Ont., saying the factory will open on schedule later this year but with only one shift of workers building 75,000 vehicles a year to start.

The automaker said yesterday that it still intends eventually to operate on two work shifts, pumping out 150,000 RAV4 compact SUVs per year. But it said weak sales continentwide are forcing a cautious start.

"With the weak... // Times Colonist

Toyota Motor Corp. will delay plans to add a second shift at its new assembly plant in Woodstock, Ont., amid falling global sales of its RAV4 crossover-utility vehicle - marking the first example of the U.S. sales slump affecting the Canadian operations of a Japan-based auto maker.

The new plant will open as scheduled in November, but plans for the second shift and full production of 150,000 vehicles annually have been put off indefinitely, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. president Ray Tanguay said yesterday.

"We had some concerns about how to balance our production capacity versus the market demand especially in light of what's happening in North America now," Mr. Tanguay said yesterday. "As we look at Woodstock we want to make sure we feel secure enough about when we start the... // Globe and Mail

The automaker said it would start one shift of about 1,200 workers instead of two shifts of more than 2,000 when production of the RAV4 compact crossover SUV starts in November.

The company, which initially planned annual production of about 150,000, will now produce 75,000 RAV4 vehicles a year, Toyota said.

"With the weak condition of the overall automotive market in North America, we must continually re-evaluate the situation," Toyota Motor... // Stockhouse

WOODSTOCK, Ontario, Sep 5, 2008 (UPI via COMTEX) -- TM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Toyota Motor Corp. will cut sport utility vehicle production at a yet-to-open plant in Woodstock, Ontario, by 50 percent, the Japanese automaker said Friday.

The automaker said it would start one shift of about 1,200 workers instead of two shifts of more than 2,000 when production of the RAV4 compact crossover SUV starts in November.

The company, which initially planned annual... // Trading Markets

Ray Tanguay, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., said in a statement Friday that the first shift at the recently constructed plant will go ahead as planned later this year, employing approximately 1,200 people.

The second shift, which would employ an addition 800, has been delayed indefinitely, Tanguay said.

Although Toyota has fared better than many automakers because it has several fuel-efficient models that are in hot demand, other types of vehicles aren't selling as well because of high gasoline prices and consumer uncertainty about the economy.

"With the weak condition of the overall automotive market in North America, we must continually re-evaluate the situation," Tanguay said in a statement.

The Woodstock plant will be producting the RAV4... // 660 News

TORONTO - Toyota Canada is delaying the startup of a second shift at its new plant in Woodstock, Ont., in a move that indicates the economic slowdown is affecting more than just the North American automakers.

Ray Tanguay, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc., said in a statement Friday that the first shift at the recently constructed plant will go ahead as planned later this year, employing approximately 1,200 people.

The second shift, which would employ an addition 800, has been delayed indefinitely, Tanguay said.

Although Toyota has fared better than many automakers because it has several fuel-efficient models that are in hot demand, other types of vehicles aren't selling as well because of high gasoline prices and consumer uncertainty about the economy.

"With the... // New Brunswick Business Journal

TORONTO -- Toyota Motor Corp. is postponing plans to ramp up its new assembly plant in Woodstock, Ont. to full capacity as the automaker struggles with the same sagging U.S. truck market as its Detroit rivals.

The factory will open on schedule later this year with one shift of workers building 75,000 RAV4 compact sport utility vehicles a year to start, Toyota said in a statement Friday. The company had planned to add a second shift sometime next spring and double output to 150,000 vehicles. It is now delaying that production boost indefinitely.

Depressed economic conditions in the United States, combined with a 31% increase in gasoline prices over the past year, have triggered an auto sales slowdown expected to be the worst in a decade. Big trucks such as Ford Motor Co.'s Explorer and... // Financial Post