Japan’s Central Motor eyes production of hybrids for Toyota

A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp., Central Motor Co., is working on convincing group management to build hybrids at its new Miyagi plant. The move could shorten the almost year-long wait for some of the company’s recently launched hybrid vehicles. Toru Kuzuhara, President of Central Motor said, “I think there is a good chance, although I can’t say when and how as this is about our [future] product development.” The Miyagi plant is Toyota’s first new factory built in Japan in 18 years and operations began last January. The plant manufactures Yaris subcompacts. Kuzahara added, “I personally hope that [management will] let us build them.” Kuzahara explained that producing hybrids in the Miyagi plant would not require drastic changes in the assembly lines. Another Toyota assembler in Japan, Kanto Auto Works Ltd., will start producing small gasoline and electric-powered cars by the end of 2012 at its plant in Iwate and there are speculations that demand could exceed supply for the new compact hybrid that Kanto Auto will make because consumers will be attracted by the 40-kilometer per liter fuel consumption. The hybrid that Kanto Auto will manufacture will be the most efficient vehicle ever produced by Toyota. Building the hybrids also in Central Motor’s Miyagi plant could ease the pressure on Kanto Auto’s Iwate plant and help keep up with the high demand. At present, consumers have to wait for as long as six months to be able to purchase the latest Prius model. One month after the introduction of Prius to the market, the company received orders 18 times more than its monthly sales target of 10,000 cars. The Prius mini-van was introduced last May in Japan. Toyota has found it difficult to meet the high demand partly because of the earthquake last March. The current waiting time for the Prius mini-van is almost a year. (October 14, 2011)