Toyota restarts auto production in China's quake-hit area

Toyota Motor Corp. on Monday resumed production at its factory in China's Sichuan province a week after a massive earthquake in the region damaged part of the plant, a company spokesman said.

Toyota's joint venture plant in Chengdu in southwestern China is initially expected to produce half of its usual daily output as it will be operated only during the daytime, spokesman Hideaki Homma said.

He said full operation could resume from next week if Toyota is confident there are no safety concerns.

The automaker suspended production on May 12 when a powerful earthquake measuring 8.0 on the Richter scale struck, devastating buildings and leaving tens of thousands dead, missing or buried.

Toyota said all of its employees were safe. The quake affected the production of 380 vehicles last week.

Sichuan FAW Toyota Manufacturing Co is a joint venture between Toyota and First Automobile Works. It produces microbuses and sports cars including the Land Cruiser Prado SUV, with an annual production of 20,000 vehicles.