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Toyota to Make Hybrid Prius in the U.S.

nytimes.com — Toyota Motor of Japan said Thursday that it would build its popular gas-electric hybrid sedan, the Prius, in the United States for the first time as it tries to meet surging demand and struggles with falling sales of big trucks.

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  • magicjohnson, on 07/10/2008, -3/+32Toyota is an extremely smart company, which is why I'm surprised they didn't do this ages ago.
    • StevesJobs, on 07/11/2008, -9/+5Can a company in itself (the brand, the products) be 'smart.' Other than Smart Car.
      • Labyrinth336, on 07/11/2008, -2/+7well the people at the company make up the brand... so yes, the brand can be referred to as smart.
      • StevesJobs, on 07/11/2008, -4/+4No, the brand is an entity that is altered by the people at the company, but they themselves are not the brand, nor the other way around. Don't make me get philosophical on your ass.
      • MisterEX, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1A brand is a collection of perceptions in the minds of the consumers. It can also include the thoughts & opinions of the employees (so Labyrinth336 is partly correct). It's that gut feeling you get when you happen to see something representing that company, whether it's the logo, product, etc.

        A company's brand can ultimately be altered by the consumers. A company can take steps to bring itself in a different light, but until the consumers realize a difference, the brand will not change.

        Keep in mind, a brand is not always positive.
      • Labyrinth336, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2@StevesJobs
        The brand, and "branding" and brand equity have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy, now being described as "cultural accessories and personal philosophies"

        Case in point...

        Labyrinth336: 2 StevesJobs: 0
      • Labyrinth336, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2So by your definition StevesJobs:

        StevesJobs: "No, the brand is an entity that is altered by the people at the company, but they themselves are not the brand, nor the other way around. Don't make me get philosophical on your ass."

        The brand is thus controlled or as you say... altered by the people at the said company. If the brand is altered by the company... the company would be making these arrangements in a fashion that would benefit the company, consumer, and ethics. So in turn, the brand which is actually an extension of the people (ideas, thoughts, opinions, whatever you want to call it) would thus entitle the brand to be called smart...

        you wouldn't call a nice rock that you found on the side of a mountain a, " nice piece of mountain you found there.." no, you would call it a rock.. so people wont be saying that it is a smart group of people at the company representing themselves... they would say that it is a smart brand they got there...

        I just got philosophical on your ass... medieval style..
      • Zanzabar33, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3Damn, Labyrinth336... you just served StevesJobs balls to his mother... you earn my digg, kudos*
      • StevesJobs, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1Retreat! To the keep!
    • cadmiumpaint, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4Toyota already builds some of their stuff in America...i think most of their trucks are built in the states.
      • davdev, on 07/11/2008, -5/+2My 4Runner was built in Japan. It was one of the selling points for me.
    • cougar3429, on 07/11/2008, -2/+1Right, just like Apple is a dumb company because of "your" bad decisions. Good call on that whole "open source" thing.
    • LeeSoong, on 07/11/2008, -1/+4As long as it is the new Toyota Prius+ Solar:

      200 mpg,
      can plug into the wall outlet to recharge,
      and has a self recharging solar panel on top of the car to recharge itself when it is parked.

      THAT is the car the USA needs - fuel prices are becoming out of reach of the average American, especially when gas hits a price of $8 ~ $12 dollars within the next two years.
      • Buelldozer, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2If you think a solar panel on the roof is going to recharge a Prius to any appreciable extent you need to take some engineering classes.
      • hdhock3y, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2Wouldn't any little bit of power help?
      • LeeSoong, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1well, most people drive to work and park.

        If the car sits in the sun from
        say 8 am to 4:30 pm,
        it's going to get plenty of sun in most states...

        http://www.calcars.org/priusplus.html

        every little bit helps, it's ''free energy'' your car
        can harvest by itself - while you go work to pay
        for that $12 a gallon gasoline...

    • muchachoburacho, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Im sure they switched, or at least attempted to switch production over the the US when it was most profitable to do so.
  • StupotAce, on 07/10/2008, -1/+54Good. Americans could use the jobs.
    • unpolloloco, on 07/11/2008, -3/+14Now if only GM could manage moving over some of their production to the US from Mexico......
      Maybe if they didn't manage to lose $38000000000 a year due to bad management, they might be able to
      • StevesJobs, on 07/11/2008, -1/+8If their management was bad did they really *manage* to lose $3800000000000

        Think about it...
      • CrackyJSquirrel, on 07/11/2008, -0/+10Another of GMs problems right now is for some reason they have long term goals for big trucks and SUVs.. Which they can hardly give away these days.
      • FamousAnus, on 07/11/2008, -1/+15I imagine that GM would probably like to have plants in the US...but then they would have to deal with the U.A.W. Toyota is non-union...actually every Japanese-owned plant in the US that I am familiar with is non-union. Amazingly, the workers seem to make their living, and the cars are obviously not poorly constructed...the U.A.W. would have you believe that it's all impossible though.
      • shagmin, on 07/11/2008, -2/+7The UAW hurts the big three too much. There is a webpage I have bookmarked at home that explains how much more workers are paid and get more benefits working for the American companies. But then Japanese companies have plants in America mainly placed in economically depressed areas for a reason.
      • LeeSoong, on 07/11/2008, -1/+6GM: Godless Management - still building 20 mpg gas guzzlers. Forget them.
      • lonnieh, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2"The UAW hurts the big three too much."

        I don't think the UAW had anything to do with the Pontiac Aztek, over-production of SUVs, or not having a better line-up of efficient cars.
  • ez12a, on 07/11/2008, -3/+20after they were caught with their pants down and Honda pulled ahead in terms of sales in the past few months. Honda's factories are flexible enough to build different cars from the same assembly line, not to mention their Ohio factory employs thousands of US citizens.

    http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2008/07/02/ap517933 ...
    • cowsgonemadd3, on 07/11/2008, -2/+2Plus the civic looks better than the prius!
      BONUS POINTS!
  • subhuman, on 07/11/2008, -14/+25Also - america is the only country that thinks a hybrid is still more efficient then just driving carefully or buying a diesel ->

    http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_styl ...

    For the power that the prius actually has (very little) its mpg is poor. a VW golf 1.9 TDI could easily exceed it in both performance and fuel economy and its less money AND the whole cost/pollution of the batteries...
    • curtisag, on 07/11/2008, -5/+20You can thank California for the reason we don't have fuel efficient diesel technology in this country like Europe does. Their air quality laws on diesel engine cars are the most restrictive in the world, which is why nobody sells the cars in the US.
      • DanPlainview, on 07/11/2008, -6/+3As a Californian, I apologize.
        Don't blame me, I voted for the other guy.
      • ontain, on 07/11/2008, -0/+9But I like fuel efficiency and clean air to breath :P
      • humbled, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3My understanding is that diesel puts out less CO2 than gasoline, although it has higher particulate density. That sounds exactly what we need... keep the global dimming effect while we take a bite out of CO2. Particulates tend to take care of themselves quickly (compared to CO2) through rainfall. Point is, diesel may look dirtier than gasoline but I believe it's actually cleaner.
      • Brownds, on 07/11/2008, -1/+0@DanPlainview
        You voted for Phil Angelides!? Wow lol he is one of the many reasons CA in is the ***** when it comes to the state budget...
      • JHW539, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I'll take the better air quality over diesel technology that is no better - once you factor in the higher cost, energy density, and emissions of the fuel - than that available from current hybrid technology. And before anyone trots out the TDI Jetta, it is only more efficient than the Prius in your head - no controlled test has found it very impressive even discounting the higher energy (and crude oil) density of diesel fuel.
    • mywhitenoise, on 07/11/2008, -1/+17Dude, I get 45 MPG, and I don't drive any differently than when I was getting 20/25 MPG in my Corolla.
      You'd have be the worst driver in the world not to get improved mileage from a hybrid.
      • stk198323, on 07/11/2008, -3/+2No one said anything about hybrid not being better then regular gas vehicule, just about the fact that a diesel engine with a lot more advantage get's more miles per gallon then your prius!
    • NewClassic, on 07/11/2008, -1/+12While it is true you can stretch your miles out very well if you drive correctly, the same applies for hybrids as well. People have successfully modded Priuses to get 100+ MPG in-city. The one things most people don't notice is the awful highway mileage hybrids get.

      As someone who goes home from out-of-town college on occasional weekends and for the holidays, I couldn't afford to get 25-30 on highway, even if I get a stellar 40-45 in city.

      Hybrids are cool, but they're for in-city drivers. If you want to talk the nitty-gritty of fantastic mileage, get a motorcycle.
      • mywhitenoise, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2They don't get "awful" highway mileage.
        It's true you get better mileage in city, but when I take trips from Sacramento to San Francisco and use cruise control I get 48MPG.
      • stk198323, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2Something else they don't notice (maybe because we only ear about the prius from southern states):

        The average fuel efficiency of a car goes down about 10% during winter.

        The average fuel efficiency of the prius goes down about 40% during winter.

        Let's say I drive a 30mpg corolla or a 45mpg prius, during winter:

        Corolla: 30mpg - 10% = 27mpg

        Prius: 45mpg - 40% = 27mpg

        So essentially if you live in Canada where we get around 6 month's of winter condition driving, your prius get's the same gas mileage as a corolla for half of the year while still costing MORE for two place less...

        There is quite a LOT of bad thing's about the hybrid vehicles people seems to neglect.
      • mywhitenoise, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1"The average fuel efficiency of the prius goes down about 40% during winter. Prius: 45mpg - 40% = 27mpg"

        *****. The website owner of PriusChat.com lives in Alaska, and would heavily disagree with you.
    • humbled, on 07/11/2008, -1/+4That was a pretty flawed study. It's actually a pretty "duh" result as well. The Prius saves energy in *city* driving. As you say, driving carefully is part of it - and the only thing that study shows is that cars are built for different situations. What's the city mileage on the BMW? I'm sure it doesn't approach 45, which is about what the Prius gets. And you need to compare the total cost/pollution of production of the two vehicles, not just one single component.

      That being said, we need to do something about the diesel situation in the USA. That is, we need to switch to it. Gasoline -> diesel -> biofuel (biodiesel) -> 100% electric, or perhaps hydrogen. That would provide a smooth ramp of change. My understanding is that diesel engines rival or exceed the efficiency of hybrids. Someone told me (unverified) that the Prius is far from the most efficient car in Europe. I want my 70mpg diesel car!
    • johnholden, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Well I'd love to buy a diesel, but unfortunately there aren't many in the US, so we're stuck with hybrids.

      As for driving carefully, you can do that with any car--gasoline, diesel or gas-electric hybrid.
    • santaliqueur, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3Everything is against America in some way. If you knew anything, you'd know that only Volkswagen sells diesel cars in the US. And you can't even buy them in Massachusetts, and possibly some other states. Hybrids is all we have. Hate on America for something else.
    • JHW539, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1In controlled tests, a hybrid outstrips all equivalent sized diesel vehicles available even before correcting for the higher energy content (and price, and crude oil per gallon, and CO2 emissions) of diesel. Hit fueleconomy.gov and check out real numbers. Your link references a very non-scientific press puff piece, a car that would be illegal to sell in the US due to emissions (Europe is more forgiving of carcinogenic soot). I also suspect that your hybrid beating diesel is, in fact, a hybrid itself (the neat energy recovery via the alternator during braking charging an oversized main battery to offload auxiliary loads BMW whipped up).

      Not sure what you mean by the cost of hybrid batteries. It is well documented both that the 'hybrid premium' is roughly equal to the diesel premium (they are not cheaper engines when cleaned up) and that the batteries are relatively environmentally benign - about as hazardous as the chrome on a Hummer and only double the mass of the Hummer's toxic lead-acid composition starting battery. And with over a decade of public sales, the thought that the batteries ever need replacement in a typical vehicle is provably laughable - the batteries are as likely to require replacement as a Japanese automatic transmission.
    • aegis9975, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1America doesn't subsidize Diesel like Europe does. Like the rest of the world diesel fuel costs more then gasoline, and there is the inherit cost premium of diesel engines that require high-performance particulate filter to clean tail pipe emissions. In fact, Europe is the only place where diesel is remotely popular in the world. In fact, in Japan you can't even drive diesel passenger cars inside of Tokyo because of particulate emissions.
  • scot333, on 07/11/2008, -2/+10I love you toyota....FYI i got a civic...sorry.
    • cadmiumpaint, on 07/11/2008, -3/+3i'd take a civic hybrid over a prius any day. They look better.
  • codemonkey2841, on 07/11/2008, -19/+26The Prius is such an overrated car!
    • askjeffro, on 07/11/2008, -3/+6I recently had to fly to Indiana for a wedding and rented a Ford Focus and drove it over 500 miles. I was shocked when I did the math to confirm what the car was telling me, I got 40mpg over my entire trip.

      The reason I mention this is that I think you simple statement is correct, I never thought this before. When you consider the energy requirements for building a hybrid compared to a car like the Focus (Which I felt was comparable to the various model Priuses I've driven) its a wonder that America is so fascinated with hybrids when a simple ICE setup gives you nearly the same return. (My Prius experience has returned 44mpg on average).
      • cadmiumpaint, on 07/11/2008, -8/+5yeah but the Focus is a complete P.O.S. that will self destruct the minute the warranty expires. It also has ZERO re-sale value. Important factors when buying a car.
      • stk198323, on 07/11/2008, -3/+5@cadmiumpaint:

        Wow such a retarded comment! The prius has shortcomming too: 4000$ batteries you need to replace hum... at 8 - 9 years interval?

        And Toyota offers a whopping 8 year warranty for your battery... coincidence? (They too will need to be replaced directly after the warranty end's!)

        And beside instead of paying 26 000$ for a Prius, if you pay 14 000$ for a focus you can still put almost as much as the car value in reparation and pay pretty much the same amount... And that's if the prius NEVER breaks...
      • UTKEngineer, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2The Focus is far from a POS. I had a ZX3 for two years in undergrad and drove it mostly on the 10 minute drive to campus. I consistently averaged 32 mpg. Also, I purchased it for 10K when it was a year old and it was loaded with everything except leather seats.

        My b-in-law bought a bottom of the line focus 2001 ZX3 for his 1:15 daily commute and has over 100K miles on it in less than 5 years. Not even a hiccup from the engine. Runs like a top and get 40 mpg since he's driving mostly interstate.

        Actually, I don't know anyone who's had trouble from the Focus.
      • knowitman, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2I also have a friend who just recently bought a brand new Focus less then a month ago and typically averages over 40 mpg.
    • cowsgonemadd3, on 07/11/2008, -3/+3And ugly!
  • RedForLife, on 07/11/2008, -16/+5Prius looks like crap.
  • JBabin3xB, on 07/11/2008, -11/+2just get a saab, it cleans the air
  • StevesJobs, on 07/11/2008, -3/+3Toyota be our saviour!
  • Number23, on 07/11/2008, -4/+36Remember all you digg-tards bleating about the weaker dollar? Well this is one of the benefits. Ford is looking to move production of euro models to America and Airbus(t) and VW are expected to build plants here. Exports are at all time high too.

    It also makes outsourcing more expensive, so that’s good for me.
    • dragon76, on 07/11/2008, -0/+10BMW also announced that they are moving their plants to the US from Germany because of the strong Euro.
    • KyjL, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1PLEASE give me the source of VW and BMW moving plants to America! That's a huge godsend to the crap that VW pulls with their factories in Mexico
      • Number23, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1http://www.wtop.com/?nid=111&sid=1436468
      • alexkreuz, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1@Number23

        Thats not a source. The article starts with the word IF. "IF" VW decides to build its US assembly plant. Why do you automatically assume that IF means it is a fact? "IF" I win a million dollars I'll be rich.

        I'm not rich.

        "CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (AP) - If Volkswagen AG decides to build its U.S. assembly plant in the South, the German company will join other foreign automakers that are increasingly turning the region into a hotbed of car manufacturing."
      • Number23, on 07/12/2008, -0/+1Ok, try to pay attention. VW will build a plant in the US, it's just a queston of where in the US.
    • ruddy, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6when china moves thier shoe factories to the U.S, then i know we're in deep *****
    • sqeezedinmiddle, on 07/11/2008, -1/+0some countries like china and india, intentionally keep their currency undervalued so their exports don't get effected.
    • alexkreuz, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0People who bitch about the US dollar aren't doing so as its ends. Its the lower standard of living that comes with it that people bitch about.

      While we would all love to be an industrial nation that exports to the world, I doubt any of us want to have the standard of living that China has.
  • xieodeluxed, on 07/11/2008, -5/+18just get an EV-1

    o wait..
    • blacktriangle, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6You know there is no demand for the EV-1...

      /sarcasm
  • trackerbishop, on 07/11/2008, -11/+3That actually makes me not want one.
  • groberts1980, on 07/11/2008, -9/+3It's about time. Maybe now people can get one of these without waiting 6 months and paying full sticker price. Time for some negotiation....

    Not that I'm buying one, I'm a loyal Jeep Wrangler owner. But the ***** people go through to get a Prius is just dumb.
    • mywhitenoise, on 07/11/2008, -3/+4Here's what I did. Looked at the classified section, found a fully loaded used 2005 model for $17,500, bought it the next day.
      • mike17032, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Grats on getting lucky, most people have a much harder time finding one.

        At Manhiem, they are going for more than new ones do.
  • DanPlainview, on 07/11/2008, -9/+7But are they still importing the batteries from overseas? Cutting back on emissions my ass.
    • DanPlainview, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5How do I get dugg down? That is a good concern to have. If they really are concerned about emissions they would figure some way out to cut down on the emissions that they make when they produce and ship the batteries. It is a concern.
      • JBrown99, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1It's because people don't want to think about the truth of the Prius. Everyone likes to think that by driving one they are doing the earth a huge favor, and thus are being trendy and supercool. They lack the mental capacity to think of the effects the production of a car has on the world. Which, by the way, the Prius is one of the worst.
      • stk198323, on 07/11/2008, -2/+2Dugg you up for both comments.

        People seem to forget what the prius is about, it's about environmental problem, not anything with saving gas. If you want to save money, go buy a Yaris or maybe even a corolla! The cost of the prius is not worth the buy! But if on the other hand you want to save the environment by polluting less then why would you buy a car that does not pollute when used BUT has polluted more when being produced?

        Those batteries are pretty heavy and they need to get here somehow! So it's a pretty valid point to ask about it. If for exemple the corolla emits 2kg of pollution (all gas combined) per 100miles and the prius emits only 1.5kg (it's not getting 2x better mpg then the corolla for exemple) but that the batteries produced 1 000kg of pollution during the transportation process:

        Corolla: for 100 000miles: 2kg X 1000 = 2 000kg of pollution

        Prius: for 100 000 miles: 1.5 X 1000 + 1000 = 2 500kg of pollution!!

        Of course after say 200 000 miles it will be equal but by that time you will need to change the batteries...

        Yes I do realize that those numbers are taken from no where but it was still to show that you digged danplainview down without even realising he's right that the batteries shipping is an important part of the equation.
      • littlewing82, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Because the batteries are currently shipped overseas to Japan, however they will be traveling a much shorter distance once American plants open up for Prius production. The nickel for the batteries is mined outside of Ontario.
      • DanPlainview, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0littlewing82,

        Are you certain that the "batteries" are shipped overseas to Japan and not just the nickel that they use for making the batteries?
        If what you say is true about the nickel, it would be a really good idea for Toyota to open a battery assembly plant on this side of the ocean (unless of course I am wrong about this and they already have) It seems like what they are doing now requires a lot of unnecessary shipping.
        It would seem that would be the best solution for the business and the environment.
    • aegis9975, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Compared to shipping the whole damn car with the battery in it? Do you really think 100% of components of any car is actually built in one country?
      • DanPlainview, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0I'm not comparing anything. I just mentioned that although they are making steps to produce less emissions when making the car, they are not yet taking all the steps. It makes me think that Toyota is (gasp!) not making the prius to "save the environment" but to make money off of people who think that they are "saving the environment." Most people on this site think that most big corporations are evil and are only around to ***** people over and make money. Why would Toyota be any different?
        And to answer your question, no, I do not think that all of the parts for cars are made in one country. I do however think that if they were then it would cut down on emissions and "help" to "save" the environment. I'm not saying it's the best business plan, I'm just saying that Toyota ain't doing what they're doing to "save the environment"

        PS
        I dugg you up because that was a valid point. Why does it say that dugg and digg are misspelled on this website?
  • AndrewWiggin, on 07/11/2008, -9/+1I didn't know this car wasn't available in the States. It's been in Canada for some time. Good for Toyota and everyone else.
    • DanPlainview, on 07/11/2008, -0/+7The car is available here, it just wasn't made here until now. Good job reading the article ;-)
    • uggidi, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1It is available in the US but not built here. Toyota will start building it right here soon...
    • cougar3429, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3To be fair, the article was in English not.....Canadian, eh?
  • biogears, on 07/11/2008, -8/+1Are environmentalists starting to understand how markets work?

    Not ONE government program involved in this move, just an evil company responding to the market.
    • trisweb, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Yes, because all corporations are evil, even the ones trying to improve fuel efficiency.

      Who cares if it's mostly or purely market driven? That's the way it should be; it works and it's a win for everybody.
    • santaliqueur, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2Hey, ***** moron, not every company is evil.
    • biogears, on 07/12/2008, -0/+0Man, you guys missed my facetiousness. Try decaf.
  • MasterChi, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3So since the Prius will soon be built in America and not Japan the Prius will be a good amount cheaper for USA customers then right? I mean they don't have to pay for a ride for the prius's to go across countries and the import tax so hopefully those savings get reflected towards customers. Lower prices will mean more sales for Toyota so hopefully they will get smart.
    • bphicke, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4Good luck with that.
    • groo68, on 07/11/2008, -0/+6no, there building another factory to meet demands, they wont lower the price, they will just profit more off the old price.
      • MasterChi, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1You didn't read the article did you? They aren't building a new factory, they are changing a factory to completely stop the production of trucks and move to Prius production in this one factory....not building a new one at all.
    • Kanele, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2Prius built in America doesn't mean lower prices, it means they can actually sell them here
      • MasterChi, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2They do sell the Prius here...this should mean lower prices since it won't be an import item anymore it will be made domestically.
      • Kanele, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0They do sell "some" Prius, but there are quotas of imported cars. Building the cars in US would permit them to sell many more.

        Cutting importation costs is not everything, wages are higher in Us. (though given the fall of the dollar...)
    • Definition, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1Japan has very strict quality standards when it comes to labour. It might ( I emphasize might ) be a lower quality car. Let me give an example. In 1998, my father bought his first car, a civic hatchback. That car was a brick. It was made in Japan, and sold to him for about $20 000. It was made out of steel, and still works REALLY well. However, in 2003, he bought the newer civic hatchbacks, they were made in the UK out of fiberglass, not steel, and sold for about $23 000. The 2003 car started having problems. I remember his first problem was the motor. To this day, he keeps the 2003 civic in his garage, hoping to sell it. He now drives the 1998 civic.

      It could be how it was assembled. UK and Japan have different standards. We talked to the Prius dealer, who told us that the car was made in Japan, and would probably last longer. It could be *****, but yet again, he had that experience.

      What I'm trying to say is that I would spend a little more money on a car to see it work better in the long run. Whether that's importing from Japan, then so be it.
    • alexkreuz, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0No, you'll pay the same price. Why do you assume they'll pass the savings onto you? lol.
      But they'll pay a lower price due to weaker dollar exchange rate.

      You might get a job out of it though.
  • diggydougie, on 07/11/2008, -0/+12This is the product of a weak dollar. Look for more of the same in the future. We will go back to being a manufacturing and exporting nation. Then we will cry that other nations are exploiting our resources. Slowly the cycle will repeat.
    • JBrown99, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5Well it also has to do with rising fuel costs. The money saved by not shipping a product will offset any increase in wages they have to pay.
      • diggydougie, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Here's the kicker. Oil is valued in dollars. Oil is not increasing in price, the dollar is decreasing in value. Check out the price of oil as compared to precious metals and you will see a very stable value. The fed is printing too much to pay for the Iraq war causing inflation. Don't trust the government inflation figures, just look at your bills to gage inflation.
    • AZRoboto, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1But the average Digg user thinks that the government is going to merge with Canada and Mexico, and there's going to be a Civil War...

      http://digg.com/politics/Congress_addresses_the_em ...
      • korvan504521, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1I don't understand why merging with Canada and Mexico would be such an awful thing. Do you really think the US still wouldn't be in charge in that sort of relationship?
      • alexkreuz, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1I hear Canada has a lot of oil. Iraq War 2.0?
  • j0se, on 07/11/2008, -1/+5Its because Germany is getting most of the Prius. For every 10 Prius Germany gets the US gets 2-3. Because the Germans are paying out more. And also the Prius are being sold $6000 over base price at most Toyota dealerships at the moment.
  • bigskank, on 07/11/2008, -6/+2Ah yes...this is a wonderful idea. Because American auto workers have consistently churned out cars for the last 30 years that are both reliable and dependable. /sarcasm
    When I think of reliability, the U.S. auto industry is the last thing that jumps into my mind. While it will be nice to have these jobs on U.S. soil, I'm not sure that American work ethic can match that of Japan when it comes to meeting quality controls.
    • AgentX640, on 07/11/2008, -0/+7Yes... because we all know that the guys assembling the cars are the ones who engineered them as well.

      /SARCASM

    • BinaryFragger, on 07/11/2008, -0/+9Um, many 'imported' cars are built in America and Canada.
      Honda, Toyota, Nissan, BMW and Subaru all have plants in North America.

      The Accord, Camry and Corolla, 3 of the highest-rated cars, are built in North America.
    • cougar3429, on 07/11/2008, -3/+0I worked at a Rolls Royce plant here in the states and he's absolutely right. Thanks to the Unions, MANY workers here feel like they deserve to show up at their job, sleep alot of the day, play cards, smoke, and go home being extremely overpaid and having done almost no work. It's pathetic. Unions used to be necessary in this country, but have become the bane of cost-effective assembly.
      • askantik, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2Toyota isn't union, dumbass. Please STFU.
    • JBrown99, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Never had any problem with a domestic car - except our old Chevy Lumina, but that thing just plain sucked.

      My two Ford trucks both have 250,000+ miles and still running strong. My dads old Oldsmobile (haha) had 500,000+ and ran fine. Every car maker has their bad cars, and every car maker has their good cars.
  • jbmcb, on 07/11/2008, -1/+20Not surprised at all. Here's the trick to "imports":

    1. The parent company makes all the parts in Japan, off-shore, or wherever
    2. The parent company SELLS the parts to the holding company that owns the assembly plant in the US (Toyota Motor North America)
    3. The holding company puts the parts together and sells them to dealers/channels/whatever
    4. The parent company (Toyota Japan) tweaks the cost of the parts to the holding so that the holding company just breaks even
    5. The parent company doesn't have to pay import tariffs on cars (which are much higher than car parts) , OR any corporate profit tax in the US (since the holding company is just breaking even)

    They're selling more and more Priuses (Priuii?) which makes it more profitable for them to build them in the US and get around the import tariffs.
    • Kanele, on 07/11/2008, -4/+1Latin plural would be Prii me thinks
    • Willinois, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0Of course, most of the parts in American cars are made overseas as well and only final assembly happens in the US. Saturn is the closest you'll get to an American made car but many of its parts are still from Mexico and elsewhere.
    • JHW539, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Good for Toyota. Why do we have big tariffs making it more expensive for me to buy the best car for my needs? If the big three go bankrupt, good riddance - they can't survive even when subsidized in a protectionist (tariffs on imports) market. They successfully fought the government for the right to sell vehicles with CAFE standards stagnant for decades and deserve tariff protection from the results of their inept management? Seeya GM - Adam Smith should kick your ass on the way out.
      • jbmcb, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1They can't survive when tariffs are useless due to the end-run using parts, their competition don't have to pay the relatively high corporate profit, and it's nearly impossible to build factories and export parts to do the same thing anywhere else (Japan makes it very difficult for foreign companies to build factories there, or even to import parts)

        In GM's case, they are very profitable in just about every country in the world EXCEPT for the US (they don't even bother with Japan, nobody does.) There's a reason for that, and it isn't that they don't sell cars ; they still sell more cars in the USA than any other carmaker.

        I'd agree with you wholeheartedly if it were a level playing field and there was completely open trade. The problem is, the deck is stacked pretty heavily in favor of the foreign companies, on multiple levels, from the US side and from the foreign market side.

    • aegis9975, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Doesn't work that way, you see exactly what percent of the car is using domestic parts on the sticker window when you buy the vehicle. In most instances its much easier to use domestic suppliers then sending the whole damn part across seas, for every part that is imported Toyota will still have to pay tariffs on. So even if they wanted to make 90% of the car in Japan and screw in a few blots in the US, they will have to pay tariffs on all 90% of those parts.
      • jbmcb, on 07/13/2008, -0/+1They may still have to pay tariffs on parts, but tariffs on car parts aren't nearly as high as on assembled cars. When the imports first came over in the 70's they'd be complete except for an engine or tires - they'd list it as car parts to get around the whole car tariff. After putting and end to that practice, they got around it with this scheme.

        As for the percentage built here it doesn't really matter - usually it's a few major parts that are imported (engine, axles, transmission, electronics) The point is to have the holding company not show a profit so they can get around corporate profit taxes. They can do this just selling *one* part at a very high price - $12,000 for an engine, for instance. They don't have to report what the parts cost, and they don't have to announce how much money the holding company is making, since it isn't a publicly traded company. For tariff purposes, they have to report how much the part is worth, not how much they are selling it for, so that's what they pay tariff on.
  • waydee, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1How about they start manufacturing some of their diesel models over there too? if there's a demand for economical vehicles in the US i'm perplexed as to why there's still only a handful of diesel cars available.
    • burningmanstan, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3More diesels are on the way. However the situation is a little different in the the US. Many states have adopted super strict emissions requirements for diesel cars. Any diesel sold will need new emissions reducing technology which adds to the cost of the vehicle. Also diesel isn't subsidized in the US and it costs a lot more per gallon. Also we have a lot of truckers who want all the diesel. Even with all these issue i think diesels could become more popular if people found out how durable and fuel efficient they were. Biodiesel from algae would be the long term solution to many of these problems. An increased interest in diesel cars combined with the airline industry interest in algae may encourage more people to invest in algae farming.
    • wiggles, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4This is why diesel cars don't sell in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldsmobile_Diesel_V6_ ...

      Basically, GM royally screwed up their engine designs in the 70's and 80's. The failure rate of the engines were way too high, and as a result, nobody will buy a diesel engine for anything but a truck.

      That, and we only just started to get the low sulphur diesel fuel you euros have had for some time -- diesel has a nasty reputation of being dirty, sooty, and smelly.
      • sodade, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1***** if I don't want to get all Mad Max on some old ***** driving a mercedes diesel in front of me on a hot summer's day.
  • cadmiumpaint, on 07/11/2008, -0/+5Toyota has no choice. With the plummeting dollar, its getting harder and harder to import cars to the U.S. and make the profit they want. Makes more sense to build them here.

    VW delayed importing of their new Tiguan SUV for that very reason...last i heard they were shopping for facilities in the U.S. to build vehicles in.
  • thedogfatherx, on 07/11/2008, -1/+2This is really good for the US. Good for them.
  • blacktriangle, on 07/11/2008, -0/+3Japanese companies should start importing the 'kei cars'.
  • katorga, on 07/11/2008, -1/+4Toyota is re-purposing the new plant in Mississippi from Highlanders to Prii. This will delay opening up to 1 year. Toyota is not "that" smart. It takes them 1 year to convert an assembly line to a new model. Honda takes 10 days! Toyota sales dropped 18% and Honda's went up 4% because they could instantly switch production to Civics and Fits to meet demand. FYI, it takes GM or Ford a new plant to switch production to a new model line! Talk about poor efficiency.
    • jbmcb, on 07/11/2008, -0/+2I'm not sure that you know anything about building cars.

      GM and Ford build new plants because most of them are old, inefficient, and not designed for modern just-in-time manufacturing techniques (not enough warehouse space or loading bays, for instance.)

      The total downtime for Honda was 10 days for a changeover, that was after over a year of in-place retooling and retraining, and the car made before on the same line wasn't a radically different design.

      Converting an SUV line on one platform to a car line based on another platform is a huge change, the fundamental construction is totally different, and it can't be done while rolling, as Honda did moving from one car to another.

      Honda was very clever in their switchover, however, that doesn't make the other car companies stupid.
  • wizbor, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1Toyota has been working with the Argentine scientists, Methane Power!
    http://holycrapthatsfunny.com/2008/07/11/like-oilb ...
  • homerj1965, on 07/11/2008, -5/+1There goes the quality!
    • gweedo767, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4You do realize that Toyota already assembles most of their vehicles state now right? It is a lot cheaper.
    • r00fus, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Toyota invented LEAN process management.
      Read up on it, and why their operation scales better than anyone else. Quality is one of their biggest focuses when they export their production.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing
  • shutter54, on 07/11/2008, -1/+0You mean they are actually going to FINALLY let us have one??? Wow!
  • askantik, on 07/11/2008, -0/+8The Toyota plant is about 15 minutes from my house :)

    It will be interesting/strange to have the Prius built here in place of the Highlander due to the higher concentration of uber-conservative SUV-driving soccer moms, and etc. that are around here.
  • sodade, on 07/11/2008, -0/+4I've got an Idea for you Toyota, why not just remake the small trucks you were making in the 80s? I recently went to buy a truck and realized that every ***** "small" truck on the market is a ***** monster truck.
  • mike17032, on 07/11/2008, -3/+1Proof that there is a sucker born every minute.
  • JAWS, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1To the ass-hats at the top that moan about how hybrids are overrated. I got one last year and don't drive a bit differently than I used to and yet I'm getting between 48-52 mpg ON BOTH HIGHWAY AND CITY driving. As for it being underpowered, how often do you really need to accelerate from 0-60 in 3 seconds? It does just fine if I have to boost quick from a stop or to pass somebody. It's no Mustang, but then again, I can go 10x the distance a Mustang can on a (smaller) tank of gas.

    It will be interesting to see how the Prius develops (there's a story on Edmunds about a 100 mpg Prius slated for 2010) against the Volt (still concept car). I think if they can cheapen it by making it in US as well as get up around the 80-100 mpg range they'll beat out the Volt (if it ever gets wings).
  • vacax, on 07/11/2008, -1/+3These comments are full of people who have no idea what they are talking about. This is not a product of the weak dollar. It is a product of Toyota coming to terms with SUVs and trucks are no longer the moneymaker they once were. Toyota was planning to open a new Highlander plant in Blue Springs, MO which will now be converted to Prius instead. This will also allow them to make Yaris and xA on the same lines. Considering the Tundra plant in Texas cost well over a billion dollars, this is a drastic change of plans for a commitment they had already made to build in Missouri. It is going to be a huge pain in the ass to shift Highlander production to an already existing plant.

    And for the guy who claims the trick of imports is "the parent company makes the parts offshore" that is also ridiculous. Clearly you have no idea how Toyota does business. The vast majority of parts in all of Toyota's US plants are sourced from US manufacturers, in many cases saving their asses from bankruptcy.
    • Praelior, on 07/11/2008, -0/+1Wrong

      Most of Toyota's suppliers are Japanese companies. (Denso, Aisin, Toyoda Gosei) ... etc. At one point, most of those companies were actually a part of Toyota, and spun off into independent companies. I've worked for a few suppliers (one a European supplier, one an American) that work primarily with the big 3, and the Japanese auto companies are NOTORIOUS for being impossible to get work with. They are very well set in their ways with their japanese suppliers who have been supplying them parts for 50 years.

      Just because the car is assembled in the US doesn't mean its creating more jobs than an equivalent american car. 90% of the engineering and oversight is still done in Japan. The actual place the vehicle is manufactured is a drop in the bucket of the overall 4 years of work that going into developing and manufacturing a car. Toyota is coming out with the Venza, and this is the first car that is primarily being engineered in the US. Aside from this, its all done in Japan folks.

      Sure its nice they are creating more jobs in the US, but many more jobs are created by american car companies, since they still do almost 100% of the enginereering in the US, and use mostly american suppliers.
    • vacax, on 07/15/2008, -0/+1Sorry, but how are US-based manufacturers creating jobs by closing US plants and shifting production to Mexico? Do you have any source to backup your claim that most parts built in Toyota NAMCs are sourced from Japan? Last time I saw monroney labels for U.S. built Toyotas North American parts were anywhere from 75-90%. Not only that, but a good deal of American built cars are entirely developed in North America, such as the new Tundra or the Camry. Ever heard of Toyota Technical Center?
  • Willinois, on 07/11/2008, -1/+1Its important to keep in mind all the recent stories about American car companies laying off workers at the plants where they make gas guzzlers and SUV's. The UAW failed their membership at American car companies. They lobbied against higher fuel economy standards because they claimed it would cost American jobs. What really cost American jobs is the refusal of American companies to make fuel efficient and environmentally friendly vehicles. More Americans would have jobs at GM, Ford and Chrysler today if they had only listened to environmentalists about fuel economy standards.
  • star7, on 07/11/2008, -0/+0U.S. could use the jobs.
    http://www.autonovosti.com.ua
  • BevansDesign, on 07/12/2008, -0/+1I'm still going to wait for the electric Hummer.
  • LeeSoong, on 07/14/2008, -0/+1Electric Mini: 0-60 in 4 Seconds: It Has Motors In Its Wheels:

    http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/08/the_hybrid ...

    now, what is this 'miles per gallon?' you speak of?
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