Toyota Aims to Build 800,000 Vehicles in January; If It Does, It’ll Be a New Record

Nothing gets bandied around more often in the auto industry than numbers. Numbers to do with sales figures, with performance specs, with the year so-and-so is going all-electric. Sometimes we forget to put the numbers bandied our way in perspective.

News this week out of Japan threw out a number that merits perspective-placing. That would be Toyota’s announcement that it intends to assemble 800,000 vehicles in January worldwide.

800,000!

It's just a number, sure. But let's take a moment to look at what it means. The best-selling vehicle in Canada is the Ford F-150. Roughly speaking, Ford delivers 120,000 units to Canadian customers every year. In January, and just in January, Toyota will produce the equivalent of six to seven years worth of F-150 sales in Canada.

Need we mention that if it manages it, the Japanese automaker will set a record for the month? The reason for the push is simple: Toyota is increasing production to make up for delays caused by the microchip shortage. The world's leading manufacturer in terms of volume has been affected by a shortage of parts supplied by factories in Malaysia and Vietnam, a shortage caused by over-strong demand and by issues related to Covid-19.

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