Toyota taking more downtime in Canada, U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp. will stop production in Canada for 10 extra days in December and January as the Japanese automaker curtails its North American output in the face of slumping demand.

The company said it will also stop production at a plant in Indiana for six days and in Kentucky for nine days.

Toyota has plants in the Ontario cities of Cambridge and Woodstock.

The latest curtailment comes on top of cuts the auto company announced last month. Then, it said it would halt output at its plants in the U.S. and Canada for two extra days in addition to the regular Christmas holidays.

Toyota's U.S. sales tumbled 34 per cent in November, showing the effect of the weak U.S. economy. The company's sales of its high-end Lexus line were down 35 per cent.

In Canada, the company's combined Toyota and Lexus sales for November were up 1.9 per cent over the same month last year. Toyota sales were up 0.5 per cent while Lexus sales rose 19.1 per cent.

In addition to reducing production in North America, Toyota has also suspended output at plants in Japan and cut its earnings forecast.