Who's copying who?
02-15-2004, 10:34 PM
#76
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by evanichka
is that the new S series trunk is smaller than the older ones due to the curve at the back thus you can't fit four large golf bags in the trunk which is a pity lol.
is that the new S series trunk is smaller than the older ones due to the curve at the back thus you can't fit four large golf bags in the trunk which is a pity lol.
Last edited by Guest0001; 02-15-2004 at 10:40 PM.
02-20-2004, 03:07 AM
#77
MBWorld Fanatic!
You have an ES330....its obviously your first Lexus ever because had you owned one prior, you would not have bought an entry level ES, especially considering you talk so much smack everywhere else about how young people shouldnt have nice cars, etc. Now I see why.
02-24-2004, 07:45 PM
#78
Almost a Member!
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2002
Posts: 50
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
2004 Lexus ES 330 NAV/ML
Auto Plants: Battle to Be the Best
Robot-filled Tahara sets standard for Toyota, world
Japanese facility puts focus on details
By Christine Tierney / The Detroit News
It is the benchmark of benchmarks: Toyota Motor Co.p.'s untouchable Tahara plant on Japan's eastern coast.
In 2003, for the second year in a row, J.D. Power and Associates bestowed its highest honor - the platinum award for best quality worldwide - on the Tahara factory that produces Lexus and Toyota vehicles.
Owners of models built at the plant, including the Lexus GS 300 and 430 and LS 430 luxury sedans, reported 63 defects per 100 vehicles - about one-third fewer than owners of premium cars built at the best BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz auto plants in Germany, according to J.D. Power data.
Conceived during Japan's economic boom, the plant was filled with robots, amid fears of labor shortages and Toyota's great faith in automation. As one of the automaker's newer plants, it also allowed Toyota to experiment with new manufacturing ideas and production methods.
Set on a small peninsula on the Mikawa Bay, the factory was designed to be "worker friendly" to attract a new generation of workers who had viewed factory work as dirty, arduous and dangerous.
"It's one of the most beautiful plants, and very neat and tidy," said Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Koji Endo in Tokyo. The setting is lovely, too, with fishing on the quays outside.
Built in 1979, "Tahara was actually considered a mistake because it was much too automated," said auto analyst Maryann Keller of Maryann Keller and Associates in Greenwich, Conn. In terms of costs, "it was not a competitive factory when they built it."
The sprawling plant is air-conditioned. Computer-controlled robots do the heavy lifting and dirty work. More than 95 percent of the stamping, welding and painting operations are automated, while plant workers focus on the trim and final assembly - the details a customer notices.
Today, Tahara produces 460,000 vehicles a year in its two body shops and three assembly plants. In addition to Lexus exports, the plant complex assembles Toyota's domestic luxury car, the Crown, the RAV4 sport-utility vehicle and three other models.
Rival luxury automakers may murmur that Lexus cars are merely "souped-up Toyotas" because the two brands share a wide array of parts. But suppliers to Toyota know better.
Tahara sets and demands the highest standards.
Toyota, already a stickler for quality, will not accept components if defects exceed 50 per million parts shipped. In contrast, for Lexus vehicles, Tahara managers insist on fewer than 10 defects per million parts.
From the outset, former plant manager Kousuke Shiramizu, now executive vice president in charge of product and product engineering, established that the margin for error for Lexus vehicles would be half what it was at Toyota.
On average at Toyota, air leaks from car exhaust systems are held to 100 liters per minute, to reduce noise. On Lexus models produced at the Tahara plant, the ceiling is a stingy 8.6 liters of air per minute.
The plant's strict quality checks include a final stretch of inspections for cars coming off the line under the unforgiving glare of very bright lights.
Toyota also tinkered with changes in the assembly line organization at Tahara, establishing several sub-assembly lines so temporary stoppages would not halt all production.
"Tahara's the next plateau," said consultant Dennis Pawley, former manufacturing chief at Chrysler. "Rather than having one continuous line, they're going against the old adage and breaking up the line."
Living up to Tahara's standards keeps everyone at Toyota plants around the world on their toes.
You can reach Christine Tierney at (313) 222-1463 or ctierney@detnews.com.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/specialr.../a15-70498.htm
Robot-filled Tahara sets standard for Toyota, world
Japanese facility puts focus on details
By Christine Tierney / The Detroit News
It is the benchmark of benchmarks: Toyota Motor Co.p.'s untouchable Tahara plant on Japan's eastern coast.
In 2003, for the second year in a row, J.D. Power and Associates bestowed its highest honor - the platinum award for best quality worldwide - on the Tahara factory that produces Lexus and Toyota vehicles.
Owners of models built at the plant, including the Lexus GS 300 and 430 and LS 430 luxury sedans, reported 63 defects per 100 vehicles - about one-third fewer than owners of premium cars built at the best BMW AG and Mercedes-Benz auto plants in Germany, according to J.D. Power data.
Conceived during Japan's economic boom, the plant was filled with robots, amid fears of labor shortages and Toyota's great faith in automation. As one of the automaker's newer plants, it also allowed Toyota to experiment with new manufacturing ideas and production methods.
Set on a small peninsula on the Mikawa Bay, the factory was designed to be "worker friendly" to attract a new generation of workers who had viewed factory work as dirty, arduous and dangerous.
"It's one of the most beautiful plants, and very neat and tidy," said Credit Suisse First Boston analyst Koji Endo in Tokyo. The setting is lovely, too, with fishing on the quays outside.
Built in 1979, "Tahara was actually considered a mistake because it was much too automated," said auto analyst Maryann Keller of Maryann Keller and Associates in Greenwich, Conn. In terms of costs, "it was not a competitive factory when they built it."
The sprawling plant is air-conditioned. Computer-controlled robots do the heavy lifting and dirty work. More than 95 percent of the stamping, welding and painting operations are automated, while plant workers focus on the trim and final assembly - the details a customer notices.
Today, Tahara produces 460,000 vehicles a year in its two body shops and three assembly plants. In addition to Lexus exports, the plant complex assembles Toyota's domestic luxury car, the Crown, the RAV4 sport-utility vehicle and three other models.
Rival luxury automakers may murmur that Lexus cars are merely "souped-up Toyotas" because the two brands share a wide array of parts. But suppliers to Toyota know better.
Tahara sets and demands the highest standards.
Toyota, already a stickler for quality, will not accept components if defects exceed 50 per million parts shipped. In contrast, for Lexus vehicles, Tahara managers insist on fewer than 10 defects per million parts.
From the outset, former plant manager Kousuke Shiramizu, now executive vice president in charge of product and product engineering, established that the margin for error for Lexus vehicles would be half what it was at Toyota.
On average at Toyota, air leaks from car exhaust systems are held to 100 liters per minute, to reduce noise. On Lexus models produced at the Tahara plant, the ceiling is a stingy 8.6 liters of air per minute.
The plant's strict quality checks include a final stretch of inspections for cars coming off the line under the unforgiving glare of very bright lights.
Toyota also tinkered with changes in the assembly line organization at Tahara, establishing several sub-assembly lines so temporary stoppages would not halt all production.
"Tahara's the next plateau," said consultant Dennis Pawley, former manufacturing chief at Chrysler. "Rather than having one continuous line, they're going against the old adage and breaking up the line."
Living up to Tahara's standards keeps everyone at Toyota plants around the world on their toes.
You can reach Christine Tierney at (313) 222-1463 or ctierney@detnews.com.
http://www.detnews.com/2004/specialr.../a15-70498.htm
02-24-2004, 09:20 PM
#79
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
All I care about is the cost of maintenence, fit and finish, and a solid and communicative ride at all speeds all the way up to 500K miles. I also don't want to replace any timing chains or belts, transmissions, have top end work, have any rattles squeaks or other annoying irregularites at ALL, no suspension work(maybe shocks every 200K miles) and brakes should last at least 50K miles. Rotors should last at least 100K miles. If there is a turbo or supercharger, they should last the life of the engine, guaranteed. If there are problems with a pollution device, Mercedes should replace it for free no matter how old the car is and how many miles it accumulated no questions asked. If damage was done to the engine from the pollution device, all brand new parts should be replaced including; new head, new exhaust front to back, new catalyst, new turbo, and a straight pipe adding more horsepower. New system guaranteed for life. Oh, and I also want roadside assistance 24-7, and I don't want BS about how old the car is or how many miles it has on it.
Fortunately my 300SDL fits the bill as being a stellar performer in every catagory. Before Chrysler(maybe before Schrempp), Mercedes stood by their work and lived up to their name.
Fortunately my 300SDL fits the bill as being a stellar performer in every catagory. Before Chrysler(maybe before Schrempp), Mercedes stood by their work and lived up to their name.
02-24-2004, 11:51 PM
#80
Super Member
Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 560
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lexus GS 450h
Fortunately my 300SDL fits the bill as being a stellar performer in every catagory. Before Chrysler(maybe before Schrempp), Mercedes stood by their work and lived up to their name.
02-25-2004, 12:07 AM
#81
Guest
Posts: n/a
Originally posted by DslBnz
All I care about is the cost of maintenence, fit and finish, and a solid and communicative ride at all speeds all the way up to 500K miles. I also don't want to replace any timing chains or belts, transmissions, have top end work, have any rattles squeaks or other annoying irregularites at ALL, no suspension work(maybe shocks every 200K miles) and brakes should last at least 50K miles. Rotors should last at least 100K miles. If there is a turbo or supercharger, they should last the life of the engine, guaranteed. If there are problems with a pollution device, Mercedes should replace it for free no matter how old the car is and how many miles it accumulated no questions asked. If damage was done to the engine from the pollution device, all brand new parts should be replaced including; new head, new exhaust front to back, new catalyst, new turbo, and a straight pipe adding more horsepower. New system guaranteed for life. Oh, and I also want roadside assistance 24-7, and I don't want BS about how old the car is or how many miles it has on it.
Fortunately my 300SDL fits the bill as being a stellar performer in every catagory. Before Chrysler(maybe before Schrempp), Mercedes stood by their work and lived up to their name.
All I care about is the cost of maintenence, fit and finish, and a solid and communicative ride at all speeds all the way up to 500K miles. I also don't want to replace any timing chains or belts, transmissions, have top end work, have any rattles squeaks or other annoying irregularites at ALL, no suspension work(maybe shocks every 200K miles) and brakes should last at least 50K miles. Rotors should last at least 100K miles. If there is a turbo or supercharger, they should last the life of the engine, guaranteed. If there are problems with a pollution device, Mercedes should replace it for free no matter how old the car is and how many miles it accumulated no questions asked. If damage was done to the engine from the pollution device, all brand new parts should be replaced including; new head, new exhaust front to back, new catalyst, new turbo, and a straight pipe adding more horsepower. New system guaranteed for life. Oh, and I also want roadside assistance 24-7, and I don't want BS about how old the car is or how many miles it has on it.
Fortunately my 300SDL fits the bill as being a stellar performer in every catagory. Before Chrysler(maybe before Schrempp), Mercedes stood by their work and lived up to their name.
I will see where my C320 takes me. I do have high hopes for my car. After 14 months of ownership I have had only 1 sunroof problem. I will see about the next several years.
