Toyota Japan back on the road after probably-not-cyber attack halted production

Toyota Japan has recovered from what it's described arsenic a "malfunction successful nan accumulation bid system" that halted accumulation connected 28 lines crossed 14 plants starting connected Monday evening.

The automaker is celebrated for – and proudly promotes – its lean, just-in-time, Toyota Production System, which it feels is exceptionally reliable. The strategy intends Toyota has very debased inventories of components, arsenic they get almost to nan infinitesimal they're needed to beryllium fitted into vehicles.

But erstwhile nan accumulation bid strategy glitched, nan strategy stopped.

Toyota isn't judge what happened.

"It is our knowing that nan malfunction of nan strategy was not caused by a cyber attack," sounds a Tuesday statement from nan automaker. "However," it adds, "we will proceed to analyse nan cause."

Japanese media reports that accumulation resumed arsenic planned connected Wednesday. Some reports person suggested nan malfunction was caused by ongoing activity connected nan accumulation strategy – implying that immoderate dud codification whitethorn person gone into production.

Whatever nan origin of nan glitch, it's different embarrassment for Toyota which successful caller times has endured aggregate data leaks. And who could hide that clip it left they cardinal to customer info connected a nationalist GitHub page for 5 years? Or nan 20 years of faked emissions data?

Oh, what a feeling, indeed.

• Toyota wants 'closed loop' EV batteries successful its early cars
• Toyota plans to walk up to $2.5b expanding North Carolina EV artillery factory
• Update your Tesla now earlier nan windows put your fingers successful a pinch
• Toyota R&D wheels Fujitsu's pseudo-quantum tech retired onto conveyance assembly floor

The conveyance elephantine has calmed buyers and investors by stating that nan incident won't effect accumulation volumes – suggesting it has immoderate slack successful its systems and tin dress up for nan missed days of production.

That hasn't ever been nan case, peculiarly successful caller years acknowledgment to nan COVID-19 pandemic's effect connected world proviso chains and semiconductor shortages.

At slightest this incident hasn't resulted successful wheels falling disconnected cars – a problem that earlier this twelvemonth saw Toyota and Subaru recall immoderate models. ®