Facing surging gasoline prices and strong demand for fuel-efficient cars, Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production of large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States from early August to November.
Japan's top automaker will also produce its popular Prius gasoline-electric hybrid model in the late 2010s at an assembly plant being built in Mississippi, dropping its initial plan to produce the Highlander midsize SUV, a Toyota spokeswoman said Friday.
The decision apparently marks a turnaround in Toyota's strategy in North America, where it made a foray into the market for full-size pickup trucks last year to penetrate one of the last remaining bastions of General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler.