Toyota to Manufacture hybrid vehicles in US

After being burned on a Sony stereo built in China, I'm skeptical of Toyotas built in the U.S. I think I've heard of other Japanese cars built in the U.S. that did not come up to the build quality of the same year and model made in Japan.

Building them here is good for our balance of trade and provides some U.S. jobs, but may not be so great for the buyers.

 

Almost all if not all Toyota Camry's sold in the USA are built in the USA. They have been for years. And the Camry has a quality about it that few American cars can compare to.

That said, studies have suggested that Toyota's built in the USA may not be as perfect as Toyota's built in Japan. But most of the quality of cars is in the design and less in the manufacture.

There's a test that I used to do years ago so I'm not sure if it's still true. If it is, open the door to your American car and see how the door is bolted to the frame. Generally you will see variable places where the bolt can be placed, then thru the use of shims, the manufacturers can move the door until it fits just right.

Now open the door of a Japanese car. Check out the bolt and you will see that the door can only be bolted in one place. No need for shims. Once bolted on the only way it can be, the door is perfectly aligned.

The American manufacturer requires precision on the assembly line. The Japanese manufacturer designs that precision in from the beginning.

This process is consistent thruout the car. Thus, WHERE the car is built becomes less important.

Tonight I'll check it out to see if this phenomenon is still true. My neighbor has a Chevy.

 

I agree. From the paucity of knowledge I possess, the design specs seem to be more critical than the country where final assembly is accomplished.

Having said that, I have to admit I was a little disappointed when I learned my son's CR-V was assembled at the England plant rather than the one in Japan. No problems so far but I recently discovered that one of the recalls on the 05 models only applied to those vehicles assembled in England.

 

The Japanese have much stronger work habits and concentrate more on the company than the family. I know they made a movie a while back where a Japanese company bought a car assembly plant in the US and tried to make the American workers work as hard as if they were in Japan.

 

8) Daniel,

Toyota Avalon, Camry, my former T-100 Pick-up are all made here in the US. I personally have own nothing but Toyotas since 1982 and I have not seen any decrease in quality and/or workmanship

Ben

 

To excess6
Sorry. I don't buy this and I think history is with me. When I was a kid, "made in Japan" meant junk.

So what did the Japanese do? They hired an American Professor (Deming) to teach them how to make quality products. This same professor tried to get American manufacturers to embrace his systems but they laughed at him. Japan listened and changed.

In America, business was and remains mostly adversarial. It's management against the employees and employees against management. Deming taught the Japanese a different way and it worked.

Japanese employees are extremely devoted to the company because the company is extremely devoted to the employee. And this starts with respect and management and employees working together as a team.

So the Japanese don't make great cars because they are Japanese. They make great cars because they are treated well by management. And they are not hard workers because they are Japanese, they are hard workers when it pays off.

And there is no doubt in my mind that Americans can work just as hard as any other people, if they are treated right.

 

I agree with Prius04, though I would add one factor:

The Japanese business model aims long-term (partly because executives stay with their company) and so values quality even if it narrows the profit margin. Quality builds company reputation and assures market share over the long term, with the accompanying long-term profit. The U.S. business model aims for quick, short-term profit (partly because executives don't stay with their company and are paid bonuses based on short-term performance) and so skimps on quality-control to maximize profit margins.

This of course would tend toward higher quality in Japanese cars even when made in the U.S.

The problem is the factor of employer-employee relationships. Japanese workers have job security, and therefore loyalty to the company. Is the same extended to American workers in a U.S.-based Japanese car plant?

 

Excellent points all around. When I bought my first Toyota (a 1994 Camry) after a string of wretched GM cars (a couple Cutlass Supremes, a 98 Regency) I was really surprised at how trouble-free it was. The only non-scheduled thing I ever had to do to it was to fix the cruise control... total cost was under a hundred bucks. I don't know where the Camry was built, but now I kinda wish I do.

I gave that car to my mother when I bought my Lexus sc400--- built in japan. Again, no repair issues.

Then I got my Avalon... built in Kentucky. I've had to replace two oxygen sensors on it, but this car is 10 years old and has 172,000 miles on it! Obviously I've replaced the battery and other normal items, but the O2 sensors are the only maintainance issues I've had.

Now as I wait the final 2-3 months for my Prius, I am really happy to see 100% foreign parts on the window sticker.

Not to be American bashing (you have the potential for a lovely nation here, so get on it), but if American companies would simply build better vehicles, more people would buy them. The better-informed the public is, the more they will make informed purchases... and buying a car is WAYYYY too much money to spend frivolously for those of us who work for a living.

 

My Avalon runs fine after nearly four years.

The Japanese-owned factory movie referred to above was "Gung Ho," an early Michael Keaton (pardon the expression) vehicle, before the Mr. Mom days and long before Batman. I didn't see more than a few minutes of it on TV long ago.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(prius04\";p=\"63359)</div>

I'm just going off this paper we had to read in school last year.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(exces6\";p=\"63350)</div>

The movie was "Gung Ho" with Michael Keaton, way before Batman.

 

good points made all the way around here. Deming almost singlehandedly rebuilt Japan's economy with his philosophy on manufacturing and quality.

he now has the status of a God in Japan being the only non-Japanese in history to attain their highest governmental award.

a big reason why Toyota is successful is that they produce a product they would be proud of. why? because its their reputation on the line thats why.

in the US, execs who fail simply take their fat separation packages from the company they ran into the ground and sign another fat contract with another firm.

in Japan, execs who fail know they will not get another job anywhere. that is why they work harder to make sure that they provide quality first. unlike the US, they know that quality products can be sold for nearly any price.

what is the difference in a Lexus and a Toyota as far as quality of workmanship...nearly nothing...

the differences come in name, options, and materials. the attention to detail level is the same for both lines since they are manufactured by the same company.

that is where the US fails and that is what will cause their downfall.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"63726)</div>

In at least one case (Lexus RX300/330 = Toyota Harrier) I believe the same car is sold under the Lexus or Toyota brand in different countries.