Toyota Retools Old Assembly Machines to Lower 2012 Camry's Manufacturing Costs

Toyota is the company that applied the (since copied by everyone) kaizen philosophy in car manufacturing to improve both on quality and efficiency. Now it has done something different: instead of installing new robots on the new Camry assembly line in Kentucky, it retooled the old units from its former plant in California.

The decision played an important role in Toyota's successful attempt to reduce the new 2012 Camry’s price by 2% compared to its predecessor.

“A lot of the tooling is new, however the equipment isn’t”, said Toyota’s executive vice president for manufacturing and engineering in North America. “We used a lot of equipment from the now-closed New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (Nummi) plant” he added.

Nummi was a joint venture in California between Toyota and General Motors that went belly-up when the latter went bankrupt to emerge as the New GM. Nummi is now owned by Tesla, which will use it to manufacture the Model S.

Despite Camry retaining the number one spot in US sales so far this year, its sales have decreased by 7% compared to 2010.

Toyota’s mid-size saloon is also feeling the heat from competitors: over the same period, sales of two of its direct competitors, the Hyundai Sonata and the Ford Fusion, have increased by 22% and 16% respectively.

Story source: Bloomberg

 

 

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2011 Kia Optima Hybrid priced from $26,500*

We’re capturing our first driving impressions of the 2011 Kia Optima Hybrid this week, but we’ve already learned that the midsize fuel-sipper will be priced at $26,500 when it goes on sale in the coming months, excluding $750 for destination and handling.

Curiously, the $26,500 price tag represents an increase of $705 versus the Optima’s platform mate, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Kia tells us that the price increase is because the Optima comes with more standard equipment than the Sonata, including things like a rear backup camera, rear spoiler, auto-down front windows for the driver and passenger, a cooling glovebox, compass, and Uvo, Kia’s brand new infotainment system.

Like its Sonata kin, the Optima Hybrid uses the automaker’s 2.4-liter direct-injected four-cylinder engine, mated to an electric motor and paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. This combination expected to return fuel economy ratings of 35/40 miles per gallon city/highway, same as the Sonata Hybrid.

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Feds pondering banning EV alert noise shutoff

The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid was supposed to begin reaching customers late in 2010, but a last-minute change prevented that from happening. The battery-packing Sonata was originally fitted with an on/off switch to disable the synthetic engine audio that would come on whenever the vehicle was being driven under electric power, but a forthcoming regulation changed that.

Hyundai ordered a last-minute change deleting the switchgear because of a bill passed by Congress (and later signed by President Obama) that made non-defeatable noise-making devices mandatory for hybrids and EVs. Automotive News reports that the ball is in the court of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the agency plans to set a proper timetable in the next three years.

While the law banning the EV alert noise on/off switch will likely stop automakers from adding the switch in the future, we’re thinking NHTSA should still act fast in coming up with a date. The move would help automakers to know what they can and can’t do, preventing more product delays in the future.

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