I think we all purchaed our Klugers just in time...

[Kruzenvax]

Future Klugers to be built locally?

Toyota set to building a four-wheel drive model in Australian factories after global financial crisis

[Speedz]

The production wont happen for a few years down the track...

Quality will probably be slightly below that of the Japanese made stuff, but I also heard that increasingly they are hiring foreigners such as Brazilian immigrants to do the assembling job so its not as good as it was... is there any truth in it?

[Guni]

The production wont happen for a few years down the track...

Quality will probably be slightly below that of the Japanese made stuff, but I also heard that increasingly they are hiring foreigners such as Brazilian immigrants to do the assembling job so its not as good as it was... is there any truth in it?

Regardless of what nationality their factory floor staff are, they still need to maintain the high manufactering quality if made in Japan.

Having said that, Toyota Japan just requested help from the Japanese governement in the form of 3 billion bucks.

Now if the largest car manufacterer in the world is in deep 5h!t then its about time we all brace ourselves .....

[Speedz]

Yeah their financial/loan arm are requesting money...

I hope they are doing ok...!

[dazbeer]

I used to live locally near to the huge toyota factory in Burnaston (UK) producing Camry's and know plenty of people who have/still do work there, i have even had the opportunity to see the factory assembly floor. All the standards that are maintained in Japan are painstakingly re-introduced into the assembly line including the japanese work ethic so i would presume the same would apply in Aus.

And yes the factory has got lay offs and a stock pile of unwanted cars, you think the recession/financial polititian made crisis is bad here you should visit the UK. They have been officially in recession for the last six months with major banks closing etc.

With any major Jap motor manufacturer (I visited Nissan as well) there standards are impeccable and this is transferred into the build quality of the car.

[kwach10]

Future Klugers to be built locally?

Toyota set to building a four-wheel drive model in Australian factories after global financial crisis

well, based on that simple condition, it will probably never happen here - Japs have been in a financial/credit meltdown for the last 20 or so years and the global one is unlikely to be any shorter or less severe

more credit will never overcome too much debt so unless the debt is written off/forgiven, we are in for a long ride to nowhere :(

at least we have nice cars to enjoy

[BigHeavyVehicle]

Information from some people I know who work in "production quality" is that the Melbourne Camry plant produces vehicles at a quality no less than Toyota's other sites. They were reluctant to discuss sites in quality order but my take on their information was that Melbourne is at the upper end of the quality scale. You do not need to be genetically Japanese to adopt the continuous improvement concepts of the Toyota Production System, Lean manufacturing, and the Kaizen culture. Would I buy an Australian-made Kluger? Yep!

[Colonel]

Information from some people I know who work in "production quality" is that the Melbourne Camry plant produces vehicles at a quality no less than Toyota's other sites. They were reluctant to discuss sites in quality order but my take on their information was that Melbourne is at the upper end of the quality scale. You do not need to be genetically Japanese to adopt the continuous improvement concepts of the Toyota Production System, Lean manufacturing, and the Kaizen culture.

Japanese companies export all thier quality control systems when they set up factories in other countries but that doesn't guarantee the same quality product. It's not so easy to instill the same work ethic and attention to detail that Japanese workers have. Just look at the Benz factories in Thailand. I heard Toyota had some quality control issues in thier South Africa plants and when VW started building their beatle in Australa many decades ago they were absolute crap compared to the German built ones. However, by and large these days the production line is made to be as idiot proof as possible so the location doesn't effect quality as much as it used to. I'd still prefer a Japan built Kluger over an Aussie built one and would be prepared to bay a bit more for a Japan built product over one built in South Africa, China or Thailand.

Edited March 7, 2009 by Colonel