Toyota Increasing Common Components Across Models
In a continued effort to streamline its manufacturing process, Toyota is working on expanding the common components used across its model lineup.
Since taking over in 2009, President Akio Toyoda has been stressing the Japanese automaker’s desire to narrow down the number of parts it uses to build its vehicles, increasing the number of parts shared across its models. The ultimate plan is to cut down on both the time and cost needed to create new models by as much as 30 percent.
In the past, Toyota spent a lot of its resources developing custom parts for its vehicles. For example, Toyota has 50 types of knee-level airbags for various models in its lineup. But by standardizing “hip heights” as Toyota calls it, it can now reduce its air bag variants by 80 percent. Another cut back has been in the radiator department, cutting about 100 models down to 21. Lastly, Toyota is reducing the number of cylinder sizes in its engines to six, from more than 18 by 2016.
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Jason Siu began his career in automotive journalism in 2003 with Modified Magazine, a property previously held by VerticalScope. As the West Coast Editor, he played a pivotal role while also extending his expertise to Modified Luxury & Exotics and Modified Mustangs. Beyond his editorial work, Jason authored two notable Cartech books. His tenure at AutoGuide.com saw him immersed in the daily news cycle, yet his passion for hands-on evaluation led him to focus on testing and product reviews, offering well-rounded recommendations to AutoGuide readers. Currently, as the Content Director for VerticalScope, Jason spearheads the content strategy for an array of online publications, a role that has him at the helm of ensuring quality and consistency across the board.
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