Toyota is back after some soul searching

Toyota's latest, a new "Mirai" model on press preview at the 36th Bangkok International Motor Show in Thailand this week. Photo: EPA

Toyota's latest, a new "Mirai" model on press preview at the 36th Bangkok International Motor Show in Thailand this week. Photo: EPA

Published Mar 27, 2015

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Yuri Kageyama Tokyo

TOYOTA is ready to ramp up its growth again, emerging from an intentional soul-searching lull brought on by its massive global recall scandal that began in 2009.

The world’s top-selling carmaker yesterday outlined a new “architecture” centred on product development and manufacturing initiatives it hopes will be more fail-proof against quality problems and allow it to keep growing in a “sustainable” way.

The first cars under the system, medium-sized front-wheel drive cars, would roll out later this year, and be expanded to half its lineup by 2020, the Japanese carmaker said.

The recall fiasco resulted in more than 10 million vehicles being recalled around the world, mostly in the US, for a range of problems, spanning faulty brakes, sticky gas pedals and ill-fitting floor mats. Toyota paid penalty fines in the US and faced a number of lawsuits.

Before the scandal, Toyota had a reputation for high quality, centred around its super-lean production methods that empowered workers to hone in on quality control. Toyota has acknowledged repeatedly that it had tried to grow too fast.

There was no single massive change being pushed at Toyota under the new programme but rather a combination of efforts to guard against quality flaws while maintaining an edge in product appeal, such as cool-looking exterior designs and safety technology. The plan that Kato kept calling “TNGA,” short for Toyota New Global Architecture, is similar to solutions being pursued by other global carmakers, such as Japanese rival Nissan and Volkswagen of Germany, all grappling with the challenges of global growth while maintaining quality.

Toyota said it will also focus on keeping costs down, while taking on the new steps such as using existing plants and facilities to carry out the changes.

Production lines will be simplified and slimmed down, downsizing facilities such as painting booths, and switching to equipment that sits on the plant floor, rather than suspended from above, as is standard today.

Among the other main measures:

n Improving the basic vehicle parts such as platforms, which will become more sturdy and rigid for increased safety, as well as powertrains, such as petrol engines, that will be in all the vehicles.

n Boosting fuel efficiency it offers through an aggressive push in hybrids, which switch back and forth between a petrol engine and an electric motor to deliver an efficient drive, such as the Prius.

n Improved handling by lowering the centre of gravity of vehicles.

n Enhancing safety features through sensors, radars and cameras that avoid and detect crashes.

In 2014, Toyota sold 10.23 million vehicles, beating out Volkswagen and General Motors. – Sapa-AP

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