Toyota to tackle quality control

Toyota is having to re-examine its production methods

Toyota may have to delay the roll-out of some new models while it resolves quality control issues that have seen more than a million cars recalled.

President Katsuaki Watanabe said the firm was looking at all aspects of car development, from manufacturing and design to dealing with customer gripes.

A report in the Wall Street Journal said the changes could delay some new models by up to six months.

Toyota has recalled some 1.5 million cars in Japan and the US this year.

On Friday, authorities in China announced that Toyota would recall 20,000 cars due to a faulty rubber seal used to fix the windscreen.

Three of the company's executives are being investigated by Japanese prosecutors over claims they delayed a car recall that may have prevented a subsequent road accident that injured a couple and three young children.

Car manufacturers are increasingly trying to cut costs by using the same components across a range of models, but this has led to a rise in the number of recalls.

Toyota has built up a reputation for reliability in many world markets, a key contributor to its success as it looks to overtake General Motors as the world's biggest carmaker.