Toyota plans ultra-inexpensive car
01-22-2007, 04:56 PM
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Toyota plans ultra-inexpensive car
from: http://www.breitbart.com/news/2007/0....pbtqfqv6.html
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to build a low-cost car undercutting Renault's emerging-market Logan through a "radical" rethink in design and production, the president of the fast-growing Japanese automaker said.
"The focus is on low-cost technology," Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe told Britain's Financial Times newspaper in an interview published Monday.
He declined to set a price for a low-cost car but said it would be "at least" less than the Logan.
Renault has started production of the Logan, which will cost from 5,000 euros (6,200 dollars) on up, touted as a budget model for consumers in emerging economies such as China and Russia that conforms to European standards.
Watanabe said that Toyota could slash the price by targetting costs throughout production.
"Everything from design to production methods will be radically changed and we are thinking of a really ultra-low-cost way of designing, using ultra-low-cost materials, even developing new materials if necessary," he said.
The plan would create a new challenge to struggling US automakers.
Toyota is set this year to overtake General Motors as the world's largest automaker.
The Japanese automaker has cashed in by pioneering environmentally friendly hybrid cars and has also seen success with its luxury Lexus line.
"The focus is on low-cost technology," Toyota president Katsuaki Watanabe told Britain's Financial Times newspaper in an interview published Monday.
He declined to set a price for a low-cost car but said it would be "at least" less than the Logan.
Renault has started production of the Logan, which will cost from 5,000 euros (6,200 dollars) on up, touted as a budget model for consumers in emerging economies such as China and Russia that conforms to European standards.
Watanabe said that Toyota could slash the price by targetting costs throughout production.
"Everything from design to production methods will be radically changed and we are thinking of a really ultra-low-cost way of designing, using ultra-low-cost materials, even developing new materials if necessary," he said.
The plan would create a new challenge to struggling US automakers.
Toyota is set this year to overtake General Motors as the world's largest automaker.
The Japanese automaker has cashed in by pioneering environmentally friendly hybrid cars and has also seen success with its luxury Lexus line.
01-22-2007, 05:27 PM
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not for US market i assume... the Kia Rio (even with its stylish new design) is having issues with sales figures... then again in theory i can see every high school parking lot be flooded with $6000 cars.
01-22-2007, 05:40 PM
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Its not actually all about creating a car that is made of crap. The manufacturing process really dictates how expensive or inexpensive it can potentially be. For instance, not saying that i would ever own one, but Hyundai/Kia 's manufacturing process for their vehicles consists of mostly robotics and non-human interaction in the process of building the vehicles. This drastically reduces the overall production costs. This is the main reason why GM is headed in a downward spiral due to labor costs. I believe Toyota is merely keeping up with the new trend but also using this as an experimental process to figure out how the can reduce production costs in the upper levels of their cars while increasing profit margins generating higher revenues.
but thats my opinion.
but thats my opinion.
01-22-2007, 06:06 PM
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Originally Posted by tChris
Its not actually all about creating a car that is made of crap. The manufacturing process really dictates how expensive or inexpensive it can potentially be. For instance, not saying that i would ever own one, but Hyundai/Kia 's manufacturing process for their vehicles consists of mostly robotics and non-human interaction in the process of building the vehicles. This drastically reduces the overall production costs. This is the main reason why GM is headed in a downward spiral due to labor costs. I believe Toyota is merely keeping up with the new trend but also using this as an experimental process to figure out how the can reduce production costs in the upper levels of their cars while increasing profit margins generating higher revenues.
but thats my opinion.
but thats my opinion.
01-22-2007, 08:49 PM
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For a tuner it would be great owning a car that cost $6200. You can go to the dealer pick up a new tc go aftermarket crazy and with your spare change pick up a daily driver all in one day.
I would buy it no matter what. Only because its a toyota.
Toyota translates into reliable.
I would buy it no matter what. Only because its a toyota.
Toyota translates into reliable.
01-22-2007, 09:03 PM
#12
I would buy it no matter what. Only because its a toyota.
Toyota translates into reliable.
Toyota translates into reliable.
A vehicle with bolt on bodyparts, easy to troubleshoot/repair/replace running gear, fantastic fuel mileage, large payload, rugged suspension, rugged interior, low first cost, low upkeep cost, long MTBF, is what is needed in much of the world.
Tom
* From the link: "Pierre-Jules Boulanger's early 1930s design brief - said by some to be astonishingly radical for the time - was for a low-priced, rugged "umbrella on four wheels" that would enable two peasants to drive 100 kg of farm goods to market at 60 km/h, in clogs and across muddy unpaved roads if necessary. ... The car would use no more than 3 litres of gasoline to travel 100 km. Most famously, it would be able to drive across a ploughed field without breaking the eggs it was carrying." That's the sort of universal "World Car" that developing nations need.
T
01-22-2007, 09:15 PM
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I think it would be fantastic if Toyota released this car in the US. America needs another simple shoes, no-frills car like this that ANYONE can afford. People who drive huge trucks or SUVs could use this as a second car, or your average commuter could use it as a super-inexpensive daily driver. I think many people in the US could find a use for a vehicle like the one Toyota is planning.
01-22-2007, 09:48 PM
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With all of the US safety requirements I don’t know if we will ever get a 6k car. Even the older Chevy Aveo when new was around 8k. The new redesigned ones are going for 12k. I think the low end Yaris at 12.5k is probably going to be the closest we get. Even the Geo’s are not sold anymore.
On a side note the GEO/Chevy Prizm with the Corolla engines are reliable, the motor outlasts the rest of the car due to the inexpensive components for the interior. My parents have one parked at their house, hoping for the motor to die so we can get rid of it. It has over 225k miles…. I don’t think it ever will die. That thing is solid. It’s sad cuz the rest of the thing is falling apart, it needs new seats, dash, center console, paint… etc.
So at some point a low cost car just is not worth it. At least in the US anyway. Overseas where people cannot finance cars or don’t make that much money a low cost option is needed.
On a side note the GEO/Chevy Prizm with the Corolla engines are reliable, the motor outlasts the rest of the car due to the inexpensive components for the interior. My parents have one parked at their house, hoping for the motor to die so we can get rid of it. It has over 225k miles…. I don’t think it ever will die. That thing is solid. It’s sad cuz the rest of the thing is falling apart, it needs new seats, dash, center console, paint… etc.
So at some point a low cost car just is not worth it. At least in the US anyway. Overseas where people cannot finance cars or don’t make that much money a low cost option is needed.
01-22-2007, 10:08 PM
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Ford came out with a concept in the late '90s that was made from mostly recycled parts, and could also be recycled, which kept the costs down. If the For-Two turns out to be a hit, why not sell it here? Even at 8-10k, it would still undercut the Smart by few grand. Love the concept.
01-22-2007, 11:21 PM
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i think its a great idea, it can help the whole toyota line, what kid isn't going to be driving one of these as their first car? a decent used car is around 3-5k why not spend another 2-3k and get a new toyota? the logic is there, if they can pull it off is another thing...
01-23-2007, 12:30 AM
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i think toyota is trying to fill some voids. back in the 70s and 80s the civic and the corolla have both been cars built on 1 basic truth : the fewer fancy parts you have, the less likely something is to go wrong, and if it does..a repair will be quick, simple, and cheap. since then the civic has evolved into what some would argue to be a space ship of some sort...and the corolla has been playing catch up. so now toyota is once again looking to build a car on that truth : few , cheap, simple parts.
