Toyota Posts 19% Drop in Net Profit - WSJ.com TOKYO—Toyota Motor Corp. reported a 19% drop in profit for the July-September quarter, blaming the yen's rapid appreciation against the dollar and production cutbacks in the U.S. and Japan due to parts shortages that hit sales. ... Toyota has said the shortages are concentrated in three areas: electronics, plastics and forged parts. Toyota has declined to specify which Thai-made parts are unavailable, but company insiders say the items include dashboard-mounted navigation systems. The company had hoped to ramp up production in the back half of the year to make up for losses after a historic earthquake and tsunami in March in northeastern Japan, which delayed output of 760,000 vehicles globally. But the elevated yen and flooding in Thailand have frustrated those plans. It is now unclear how much of that production Toyota will be able to reinstate by year's end.
