Building the Yaris for customers across North America will require an additional investment of €8 million at TMMF.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing France announced today that as of May 2013, it will start building the Yaris compact car for export to the United States of America, Canada and Puerto Rico.
The annual export volume is about 25,000 units. The surprising move is both a hedge against the strong Japanese Yen that makes exports form the land of the rising sun unprofitable, as well a defensive capacity move against the ongoing collapse of the Western European economy that has seen car sales plummet for five straight years with no end to the decline in sight.
Building the Yaris for customers across North America will require an additional investment of €8 million at TMMF. This investment is needed for regulatory compliance, including the installation of a North American 1.5-litre gasoline engine, automatic transmission, differences in the rear bumper, as well as other items linked to local regulations. Only gasoline versions of Yaris will be exported to North America.
The current generation Toyota Yaris was launched in Europe in the summer of 2011, followed by the Toyota Yaris Hybrid in June 2012. Sales of the Yaris in Europe between January and May this year saw a year-on-year increase of 22%.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
