2014 Yaris - Made in France

[yarisse54]

Bonjour, the 2014 Yaris is slated to be built in France!

Starting in May 2013, The Toyota Yaris will be imported to North American markets from a factory in France.

Produced in northern France for the European market since 2001, this is the first Toyota to be produced in Europe and imported to North America.

The Yaris hatchback is a new model for 2012. The French factory will export about 25,000 cars annually to Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In order to build cars to the unique tastes and legal requirements of those markets, the factory is being retrofitted. The North American cars have slightly different bumpers, the option of automatic transmissions, a unique 1.5-liter engine and other required safety features.

“This is not only an endorsement of the quality of the cars built by our team members here at Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF), but it’s also a significant new business opportunity for our factory and further strengthens TMMF’s position as an important exporter in France,” TMMF president Makoto Sano said.

The strong yen has forced Japanese manufacturers to reconsider domestic car assembly in light of growing costs. Honda has gone so far as to sell Chinese-made Fits in Canada, but this is the latest evolution in that trend.

:respekt: - Now will each 2014 Yaris come with a bottle of red wine and a basket of cheese? My dealer said that the 2014 Yaris will have a price drop due to the more favorable exchange rate between francs and NA currency.

[nookandcrannycar]

Bonjour, the 2014 Yaris is slated to be built in France!

Starting in May 2013, The Toyota Yaris will be imported to North American markets from a factory in France.

Produced in northern France for the European market since 2001, this is the first Toyota to be produced in Europe and imported to North America.

The Yaris hatchback is a new model for 2012. The French factory will export about 25,000 cars annually to Canada, the U.S. and Puerto Rico. In order to build cars to the unique tastes and legal requirements of those markets, the factory is being retrofitted. The North American cars have slightly different bumpers, the option of automatic transmissions, a unique 1.5-liter engine and other required safety features.

“This is not only an endorsement of the quality of the cars built by our team members here at Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF), but it’s also a significant new business opportunity for our factory and further strengthens TMMF’s position as an important exporter in France,” TMMF president Makoto Sano said.

The strong yen has forced Japanese manufacturers to reconsider domestic car assembly in light of growing costs. Honda has gone so far as to sell Chinese-made Fits in Canada, but this is the latest evolution in that trend.

:respekt: - Now will each 2014 Yaris come with a bottle of red wine and a basket of cheese? My dealer said that the 2014 Yaris will have a price drop due to the more favorable exchange rate between francs and NA currency.

There is a past thread about this, but IIRC the best information anyone posted was 'Spring 2013' (not specifying the month). Thanks for the more specific start date info. So even those first arrivals from France will be identified as model year 2014?

[why?]

That would make sense, so people know what year to start avoiding. Also would make order sheets easier.

[nookandcrannycar]

That would make sense, so people know what year to start avoiding. Also would make order sheets easier.

It will be interesting to see if 'the Toyota way', so to speak, can push the 'softer' French workers 'into line' and if the part sourcing can be up to snuff. I'm thinking I'll buy another car (unless my Yaris uncharacteristically starts rapidly falling apart) when I get to the end of the life of my NEXT set of tires (likely between 367,000 miles and 397,000 miles) or toward the end of the 2016 model year (should be the last year of the 3rd Gen), whichever comes first. If the latter comes first, the first French built Yarii should have enough of a track record to aid in my decision.

[carolinablue]

No more 100% JDM Yari for the North American market. Too bad..........

[Bobstermania]

One of the reasons I went with the Yaris is because it was still completely made in Japan. Originally was looking at the corolla, but "made in canada" just didn't seem right.

[Septembersrain]

I have a friend I went to high school with who lives in France now. She says that no one buys the cars made there and that it's well known they build them to break. That only the poor drive the cars made there. The ones with money buy German cars. I don't know how much of that is true or what not though. Just sharing what she'd said. She was worried my Yaris was made there. It wasn't though, It was traced back to Japan by the VIN. ^_^

[Shroomster]

Renault Twingo......

[mr_miles]

*phew* good thing my third gen is JDM lol................FDM cars. DO THEY COME WITH A BLOCK OF CHEESE? (ok, I'll stop being mean)

It's still toyota, I would like to think the cars will still be just as good as they are now, regardless of where they are made...but we will see.

[nookandcrannycar]

...but we will see.

Yes we will. Even given my cynical nature about such things, Toyota has earned my benefit of the doubt re this venture. HOWEVER, I will follow as closely as possible (via YW,and other blogs, websites, etc) the experiences of Model Year 2014 and 2015 USDM Yaris owners.

[bronsin]

Unless I won the powerball this my 09 Yaris is my last new car so its a moot point where the Yaris is made in the future. :frown:

If I DO win I promise to buy everyone on this list a new one. :bow:

[nookandcrannycar]

Unless I won the powerball this my 09 Yaris is my last new car so its a moot point where the Yaris is made in the future. :frown:

If I DO win I promise to buy everyone on this list a new one. :bow:

Unless you flew to Tampa, FL to buy your ticket, you didn't win :biggrin: (I heard..a couple of hours after the drawing...that the winning ticket was purchased in Zephyr Hills, FL...and I remember drinking the local Zephyr Hills bottled water when I was in Tampa last year).

[eTiMaGo]

let the French bashing begin :laugh:

TBH wherever Toyotas are built, even over here, is sure to be to their Japanese standards...

French-made Franch cars, on the other hand, might be a different story!

[eTiMaGo]

My dealer said that the 2014 Yaris will have a price drop due to the more favorable exchange rate between francs and NA currency.

Oh definitely, the French Franc is now worth approximately nothing... Ever since the country changed currency to the Euro some what, 14 years ago? :biggrin:

[YodaBird]

One of the reasons I went with the Yaris is because it was still completely made in Japan. Originally was looking at the corolla, but "made in canada" just didn't seem right.

I agree. I'm glad I got this generation. The 2014 looks horrible and probably will be made the same way. The Japanese overall parts and design are more reliable.

[nookandcrannycar]

Oh definitely, the French Franc is now worth approximately nothing... Ever since the country changed currency to the Euro some what, 14 years ago? :biggrin:

:bellyroll: I guess the dealer thinks it's 1999 :biggrin:.

[YodaBird]

http://youtu.be/c6IZecaMttM

Listening it to it at 1am :) hahaha

[mrpj]

let the French bashing begin :laugh:

TBH wherever Toyotas are built, even over here, is sure to be to their Japanese standards...

French-made Franch cars, on the other hand, might be a different story!

Well, I have a French built Mk 2 Yaris and can quite categorically state they are not to Japanese standards. Unless those standards have slipped considerably? Very poor quality and fit interior, non too good exterior panel fit either. Numerous problems which required warranty fixes in it's first year from new. Air conditioning, creaking driver's floor, loss of coolant (water pump), gearchange, glovebox fell off, etc..
Paint finish is good though in spite of it being of the "tree hugger" variety.
They really are just like a French car made in France!
Do you own or have you driven a French Yaris to base your post on?
Be very afraid unless the Mk 3 is an improvement.

[Septembersrain]

I think regardless of brand, If the car is made in that country, it's essentially on the standard of that country.
I know that quite a few people in France do number checks to make sure they are getting a car that is made OUTSIDE their country. That's a bad sign in my opinion.

It always makes me sad when companies like Toyota risk their reputation rather than just continue to pay their people.
Look at what outsourcing has done for the U.S.A. More low wage jobs, Less benefits, and tons more government oversight. =/

[mirapatec]

I seriously hope the quality of the Yaris models built in France are equal to what we have all come to expect from Toyota. I have absolutely nothing against the French workers or citizens, for the record.

[nookandcrannycar]

I seriously hope the quality of the Yaris models built in France are equal to what we have all come to expect from Toyota. I have absolutely nothing against the French workers or citizens, for the record.

I do too, as I'll likely buy a 2016 Yaris if the quality is still there.

[bronsin]

IF I need a new car I will be looking at the Mazda 2. I think thats still made in Japan.

[nookandcrannycar]

IF I need a new car I will be looking at the Mazda 2. I think thats still made in Japan.

IF the USDM quality ends up suffering going forward (with French production) that would be a thoughtful alternative, especially if you require 4 passenger doors and a manual transmission. It would take quite a few miles driven at the Mazda 2's lower MPG to make up for the difference in cost between the base Mazda 2 and the Yaris SE 5-speed.

[nookandcrannycar]

IF I need a new car I will be looking at the Mazda 2. I think thats still made in Japan.

Not for much longer. See page 32 of the July 2013 issue of Car and Driver. Mazda is building a plant in Salamanca, Mexico. The first production line there will start sometime during the first quarter of 2014. The plant will produce the Mazda 2, the Mazda 3, and a small Toyota. After reading this I recallled that someone mentionrd this plant in a past thread re producing a small Toyota, but I don't think that included any information re which Mazda models would be produced there.

[Septembersrain]

Oh great. So the Mazda 2 will be made in Mexico?
Most Ford vehicles are made there and look where it got them.

There are very few countries I trust can make a reliably long lasting vehicle.
Mexico, France, Korea... I don't trust those one bit.

[nookandcrannycar]

Oh great. So the Mazda 2 will be made in Mexico?
Most Ford vehicles are made there and look where it got them.

There are very few countries I trust can make a reliably long lasting vehicle.
Mexico, France, Korea... I don't trust those one bit.

Yep, Mazda 2 to be made it Mexico. Some people (even some Yarisworld members) don't think that quality will drop for a USDM spec Yaris built in France. I'm willing to wait to see what happens for model years 2014 and 2015. If the French built USDM Yaris turns out to be a bust re reliability, I'll probably get a Prius C (pretty much a Yaris Hybrid).....If they are still making the C in Japan and if I can get myself to accept not having a manual transmission.

[Septembersrain]

Yep, Mazda 2 to be made it Mexico. Some people (even some Yarisworld members) don't think that quality will drop for a USDM spec Yaris built in France. I'm willing to wait to see what happens for model years 2014 and 2015. If the French built USDM Yaris turns out to be a bust re reliability, I'll probably get a Prius C (pretty much a Yaris Hybrid).....If they are still making the C in Japan and if I can get myself to accept not having a manual transmission.

I definitely will want to stay with Japanese made cars.
Luckily I'm already in the automatic transmission club.
I do know, However, That Ford has a very low reliability rating.
Most of their cars are made in Mexico.
I also know that my friend in Alsace had told me that French workers intentionally sabotage some of their vehicles so that they'll break down out of warranty. >_>

[nookandcrannycar]

told me that French workers intentionally sabotage some of their vehicles so that they'll break down out of warranty. >_>

^^^^^ Nice :rolleyes:.

Given that your Yaris is new, vehicle choice (fortunately for you) isn't something that will probably have to be on your radar for quite a long time.

[nookandcrannycar]

It always makes me sad when companies like Toyota risk their reputation rather than just continue to pay their people.
Look at what outsourcing has done for the U.S.A. More low wage jobs, Less benefits, and tons more government oversight. =/

The thing is, they have to stay relatively competitive or the features and quality relative to cost won't be there and consumers will make another choice. This has been a challenge for, among others, Toyota and Mazda because of the high value of the Japanese yen. This is one of the reasons that Mazda is building the plant in Mexico and that Toyota will be producing the USDM Yaris in france. Mazda is also going to Mexico for lower labor costs and Toyota is ( in addition to the Japanese Yen French Franc valuation difference) moving the Yaris to France because electricity (for production) is cheaper there.

The Bank of Japan is now going to increase bond buying with the goal to be doubling the countries effective money supply in the next two years. They hope that this will create a desired amount of inflation (2% I believe) and will hopefully help devalue the Yen (even more than recent declines) in order to help the manufacturing sector in Japan. The U.S. and other countries are already doing this quite a bit as they don't want to be like Japan has been for the last 20 years. Automakers like Mazda and Toyota aren't idly waiting around to see if this works, they are being proactive by moving production out of Japan. I imagine the Japanese government is just trying to reverse this trend. Only time will tell what works and what doesn't.

[nookandcrannycar]

According to a post on the kilometermagazine.com site, the first shipment for the U.S. was shipped from the plant in France on May 21st

[Onwrdigo]

Just read in Automobile Magazine, the rest of the 3rd Generation is on the way from France. Toyota has also officially signed an agreement with Mazda to build the new 2016.5 4th Generation along-side the new Mazda 2 in Mazda's new plant in "Mexico" due to open late this year.

So the "French" Yaris is just to get to the end of the 3rd generations life cycle. Then it is on to Mexico for the Mexican-Mazda-built Yaris replacement for U.S. consumers.

[nookandcrannycar]

Just read in Automobile Magazine, the rest of the 3rd Generation is on the way from France. Toyota has also officially signed an agreement with Mazda to build the new 2016.5 4th Generation along-side the new Mazda 2 in Mazda's new plant in "Mexico" due to open late this year.

So the "French" Yaris is just to get to the end of the 3rd generations life cycle. Then it is on to Mexico for the Mexican-Mazda-built Yaris replacement for U.S. consumers.

Oh, that's just great :rolleyes:. I guess the savings in power cost and Yen vs Franc isn't anticipated to be as great as the reduction in transportation costs, the reduction in labor costs, and the Yen vs Peso.....plus they are 'renting capacity' without having to build a standalone plant.

[Onwrdigo]

Autoblog.com Rumors section and a few other magazines just confirmed that the 2014 Yaris is going to be the same as the '13 except for two things.

1. Relatively small price increase on all models
2. Standard Daytime Driving Lights on all models.

That is it. At least so far, that is all anyone is saying today on the auto websites.

Nothing was mentioned about it being French-built, but we all knew that anyway.

[nookandcrannycar]

Autoblog.com Rumors section and a few other magazines just confirmed that the 2014 Yaris is going to be the same as the '13 except for two things.

1. Relatively small price increase on all models
2. Standard Daytime Driving Lights on all models.

That is it. At least so far, that is all anyone is saying today on the auto websites.

Nothing was mentioned about it being French-built, but we all knew that anyway.

:thumbsup: Hand crank windows standard on the L for at least 1 more year!

[yougojay]

:thumbsup: Hand crank windows standard on the L for at least 1 more year!


:clap: Thank You Simplicity...!

So glad we got lucky and bought at the right time, the 2013 L has the better 6 speaker stereo & it was Made in Japan. All I really have a 'hankering' for right now is a set of WeatherTech floor mats and a rear sway bar...all in due time!

[jayeh]

No more 100% JDM Yari for the North American market. Too bad..........

*phew* good thing my third gen is JDM lol................FDM cars. DO THEY COME WITH A BLOCK OF CHEESE? (ok, I'll stop being mean)


They aren't JDM, they are made in Japan. Big difference there.

[yougojay]

They aren't JDM, they are made in Japan. Big difference there.


JDM shipped to the US of A :headbang:

[jayeh]

JDM shipped to the US of A :headbang:

It must have been expensive to swap the drivers seat over to the other side of the car.

[nookandcrannycar]

It must have been expensive to swap the drivers seat over to the other side of the car.

:bellyroll::bellyroll: Lack of understanding of what JDM means. Apparently your attempt to educate was too subtle :biggrin:.

[yougojay]

It must have been expensive to swap the drivers seat over to the other side of the car.

Oh yeah, oop's, nevermind! :bonk:

[yougojay]

:bellyroll::bellyroll: Lack of understanding of what JDM means. Apparently your attempt to educate was too subtle :biggrin:.

Hey, I'm a Strawberry BLONDE redhead, I have my moments :bellyroll:

[jingles]

So the consensus really is that it'll take an appreciable dip in quality? Crap. Was planning on waiting a year to buy one, but I'm not so sure now.

[roxy1]

So the consensus really is that it'll take an appreciable dip in quality? Crap. Was planning on waiting a year to buy one, but I'm not so sure now.

I highly doubt that will be the case. when the corolla started being produced in Cambridge, Ontario, there was no noticeable dip in quality. parts are still sourced from the same vendors and the manufacturing process and quality control procedures will not be changed. so much of the manufacturing process is automated now.

if I were considering a yaris, whether it was built in Japan or France would not make one iota of difference to me.

Japanese workers no longer have the lifetime security and thus loyalty to the auto manufacturers there as they had 15-20 years ago. the yaris will be built to the same standards because the manufacturing philosophy will be the same in france as it is in japan.

[mirapatec]

As long as the quality of assembly and reliability of manufactured parts were the same as the JDM units, I would have no issues purchasing a new Yaris manufactured in France.

[bronsin]

I highly doubt that will be the case. when the corolla started being produced in Cambridge, Ontario, there was no noticeable dip in quality. .


We're talkin' FRANCE here. :biggrin:

[nookandcrannycar]

As long as the quality of assembly and reliability of manufactured parts were the same as the JDM units, I would have no issues purchasing a new Yaris manufactured in France.

I agree, but I think the qualifying part of your thought is a BIG qualifier and is at least partially a question mark at this point.

[nookandcrannycar]

We're talkin' FRANCE here. :biggrin:

Yep. Also, septembersrain's French friend's view of the car industry in France doesn't exactly reassure me. Will any of that mindset creep into Toyota's vaunted process, or is that process truly global?

[bronsin]

Are Mazdas made in France?

Mazda the new Toyota?

Toyota the new VW?

[roxy1]

, or is that process truly global?

it is truly global. Toyota has plants all over the world in places not named japan and they continue to perform very highly in all short term and long term dependability studies.

imo, its a non issue.

[Flipper_1938]

it is truly global. Toyota has plants all over the world in places not named japan and they continue to perform very highly in all short term and long term dependability studies.

imo, its a non issue.

My wifes corrolla was still running fine at the 7 year mark when my son totaled it. but it still wasn't as good of a car as the Echo.

[apmatzen]

Manufacturing of 2012 Yaris in France:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz3ObSFldMg

[nookandcrannycar]

Manufacturing of 2012 Yaris in France:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz3ObSFldMg

Very interesting. Your post prompted me to reread the whole thread. I'd forgotten about Onwrdigo's quote from Automobile Magazine...referring to the 4th Gen to be built in Mexico as a '2016.5 model'. Might this be a good indication that there will be a USDM 3rd Gen 2015 Model (rather than skipping a model year like Honda did with the Fit...2015 Fit now widely available in the U.S....see my post from yesterday on Thirty Nine's 'Driven: 2015 Honda Fit' thread) ?

[goose1uponu]

I can't find a used 2015 Yaris that's not made in France, even Canada would be acceptable, but not France. Any one have any suggestions?

[Dodge Aries K]

No. You have to buy France unit. No Japanese built Yaris here after 2014.

[Kalispel]

I'm happy with my French-built Yaris. Any automaker worth their salt, and who cares about their reputation, have consistent quality/assembly protocols in place regardless of where they choose to build.

[ern-diz]

Zombo threads, as far as the eye can see...