Toyota's Mississippi Plant Delay?

NEW YORK, Nov 13, 2008; Ted Kerr writing for Reuters reported that Toyota Motor Corp, faced with a deep slump in the U.S. auto market, is considering postponing plans to start production at a plant it is building in Mississippi, Japan's Nikkei financial daily reported.

The plant, originally scheduled to begin operating in 2010, is now expected to go into production in 2011 or later, the Nikkei said, without citing sources.

The Mississippi plant will produce the Prius hybrid.

The world's biggest automaker shocked investors earlier this month when it cut its operating profit forecast by 63 percent to 600 billion yen ($6.3 billion), a 13-year low.

Apart from the slump in U.S. auto sales, Japanese carmakers have been hit by a strong yen.

Editing for Reuters by Toni Reinhold