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Toyota investing $1 billion in Mexico plant

Toyota has announced plans to build a new factory in Mexico. The site, to be located in the state of Guanajuato, is set to open in 2019 following an investment of about $1 billion. The plant will be the first to make use of the Toyota New Global Architecture, and will (at least initially) focus on production of the Corolla. The compact sedan will continue being built in the United States at the Blue Springs, MS, site, consolidating Corolla production in the south. However Toyota's site in Ontario, Canada, will shift to "mid-sized vehicles of higher value," alongside the plants in Kentucky and Indiana, the automaker said. The Guanajuato site will be Toyota's second Mexican plant, joining the Tijuana plant that assembles the Tacoma – soon to ramp up to 89,000 units per year. Once the new Guanajuato plant comes on full steam, it is slated to produce around 200,000 units per year. It'll be the first site Toyota will open worldwide since it began focusing on utilizing the production capacity it already has. With 90 percent of its production capacity now in use, the Japanese auto giant is also planning to broaden its joint venture with Guangzhou in China as well. Toyota Invests in Competitive Plants - Emphasis on Sustainable Growth Strategy - New plant in Mexico and expansion of its GTMC joint venture in China Toyota City, Japan, April 15, 2015 - Toyota announced today that it will build a new plant in Mexico and expand its joint venture, Guangzhou Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (GTMC), in China. These investments are grounded on its plans to construct production lines that are more competitive, with greatly reduced initial investment, improved efficiency, flexibility, environmental performance and safety. These "simple and slim" production lines can be easily lengthened or shortened depending on demand. Over-head conveyance devices are eliminated, compact equipment is installed on top of the plant floors, and paint-booths are smaller. The new plant in Mexico and the expansion in China will be designed to accelerate innovation by implementing these new technologies into real production lines. With today's announcement, Akio Toyoda, President of Toyota Motor Corporation said "This investment represents our long-held principles of continuous improvement and challenging ourselves to always do better. An increase in production does not mean an undisciplined pursuit of more. Toyota's expansion must be driven by providing ever-better-cars and our talented people.

Legal approach in $1.2 billion Toyota settlement could impact handling of GM recall cases

In the past, if an automaker did something wrong, they were usually prosecuted by the US government through something called the TREAD Act. Short for Transportation Recall Enhancement, Accountability and Documentation Act, it basically requires automakers to report recalls in other countries, along with any and all serious injuries or deaths, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Failing to report or attempting to conceal anything when there's been a death or serious injury constitutes a criminal liability. The idea is that this setup puts the onus on manufacturers to keep NHTSA apprised of safety related issues before they become a problem in the US, thereby allowing the regulator to better protect consumers.
In theory, it sounds like a relatively airtight set of rules for dealing with misbehaving automakers. That didn't stop the US Department of Justice from ignoring TREAD in its prosecution of Toyota's handling of the unintended acceleration recall, though. The result of this new approach, which charged Toyota with wire fraud, was a $1.2 billion settlement. Now, the wire-fraud approach could be used for the expected case between the US government and General Motors, based on the statements of Attorney General Eric Holder, who specifically mentioned "similarly situated companies" when discussing Toyota.

Hyundai Ioniq 6 review and the BMW XM Label Red | Autoblog Podcast #776

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder. We start by discussing the reveal of the incredible BMW XM Label Red, as well as the latest EPA emissions proposal. We review the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6, our long term Toyota Sienna, the Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition and the Infiniti QX60. Finally, we take to the mailbag to help a listener spend money on a fun Cars & Coffee/date night car with a manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast # 776 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2024 BMW XM Label Red is the most powerful street-legal BMW ever EPA reveals urgent plan to slash vehicle emissions, with EVs dominating sales in a decade Cars we're driving: 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 6 2023 Toyota Sienna long-termer 2023 Toyota 4Runner 40th Anniversary Edition 2023 Infiniti QX60 Spend My Money: Stick shift and rear-wheel drive Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related video: Government/Legal Green Podcasts BMW Hyundai Infiniti Toyota Electric Hybrid Luxury Performance