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How Toyota's neighbor delayed 23,000 of its deliveries

Don't you just hate when your neighbors' mess becomes your problem? Toyota certainly has good reason to be upset, after an dirty mishap at a steel mill delayed thousands of vehicle exports from its nearby port in Nagoya, Japan, (pictured above) by as much as a month.
The messy situation occurred on June 22 when the mill near the port lost power and had to burn off an excess buildup of coke oven gas - which isn't exactly a situation friendly to living beings or the environment. According to Automotive News, it caused a massive amount of smoke to emit from the plant that fell as soot and tar on about 23,000 vehicles that were waiting to be shipped out. Getting the models properly cleaned off has been quite a task. A team of 5,000 workers were at the port until this week getting them gleaming again.
Potential Toyota buyers in North America have no need to fret about getting a sullied car, though. A Toyota spokesperson told Automotive News that none of the vehicles were bound for this continent. The automaker is reportedly considering asking the mill's owners for reimbursement for the cost of the weeks of cleanup. Paying for the mistake is, after all, the neighborly thing to do.

Toyota builds its 500,000th Corolla in Mississippi

Toyota assembles the Corolla at plants around the world: from Brazil and South Africa to Turkey, Pakistan, China, Taiwan and Thailand. But the one we get here is built in Mississippi, and that location has just finished its 500,000th Corolla. The plant in Blue Springs, MS, is just one of a half-dozen assembly plants Toyota operates in the United States, but reached the half-million mark faster than any of the others. It began production late in 2011 and took over Corolla assembly from the NUMMI plant in California previously operated via joint venture with General Motors and now occupied by Tesla. Last year, the 2,000 workers at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi built 180,000 Corollas, contributing to the 10 million units of the model Toyota has sold in America since it was introduced here in 1968 and the 21 million vehicles Toyota has made in America over the years. 500,000th Corolla Speeds Off the Line at Toyota Mississippi Blue Springs plant celebrates milestone achieved at record pace BLUE SPRINGS, MISS. (Feb. 12, 2015) – Toyota Mississippi is celebrating the 500,000th Corolla coming off the line at the Blue Springs, Miss., production facility. The production accomplishment was achieved faster than any other Toyota plant in the U.S. – a testament to the 2,000 hardworking team members who have answered increasing consumer demand since the plant opened in 2011. "The 500,000th Corolla vehicle is a milestone we're excited to be celebrating," said Fred Volf, Toyota Mississippi, vice president of manufacturing. "We are proud to produce the Corolla, and it wouldn't have been accomplished without the 2,000 dedicated team members who support this operation." The milestone is one more to add to the long list of achievements for Toyota Mississippi and the Corolla. Toyota has sold more than 10 million Corollas in the U.S. and 40 million worldwide since the vehicle debuted here in 1968. The success of Corolla contributes to Toyota's accomplished domestic manufacturing footprint and represents Toyota's commitment to producing vehicles where they are sold. Since 1986, more than 21 million Toyota vehicles have rolled off the line in the U.S. and including dealers and suppliers, Toyota has generated 365,000 U.S. jobs. Toyota's local presence is felt by those in Northeast Mississippi through substantial economic investment, employment, philanthropic efforts and environmental responsibility.

Audi investing $30.3 billion through 2018 for product expansion

How does Audi plan to reach two million units in annual sales and pay for the 11 new models it's adding to its lineup - an expansion that may include models named SQ2, Q9 and F-Tron? By increasing its investment to 22 billion euros ($30.3 billion US) between now and 2018. That figure represents an increase of about 500 million euros over the previously planned outlay, according to a report by Automotive News, and that could be due to Audi wishing to goad the momentum that pushed it to 1.5 million annual sales two years ahead of schedule.
It's also about staving off the challenges from BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Now that BMW has been able to turn some of its attention away from its "i" series of Megacity cars, it will reportedly spend more than planned in 2014 as it continues the rollout of ten all-new vehicles and 15 new-generation vehicles through the end of next year. Mercedes, having been dropped to third in the sales race, is preparing to add 13 new cars over the next six years.
Audi's money is going into technology, into product like the next-generation TT and the Q1 and production expansions and upgrades all over the world. The expenditure represents just under a fourth of Volkswagen's 84.2 billion-euro ($115.7 US) outlay devoted to taking the number-one global automaker title away from General Motors and Toyota by 2018.