US Yaris to be imported from France ?

[bronsin]

Well the Japanese reply on nuclear energy for a large fraction of their electricity. I think there are only one or two nukes there making electricity now. So it figures manufacturing isnt getting all the power it would like. And what they have they are liekly charging more for.

Not a good situation for them.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Well the Japanese reply on nuclear energy for a large fraction of their electricity. I think there are only one or two nukes there making electricity now. So it figures manufacturing isnt getting all the power it would like. And what they have they are liekly charging more for.

Not a good situation for them.

No, not a good situation for them. I'd think the very logical scenario you just pointed out would indicate that any significant 'aftermath issues', however tangental from an energy perspective, were probably figured into what they (Toyota executives) called 'skyrocketing energy costs'.

[Hershey]

In time the Honda Fit is going to be manufactured in Mexico . Probably for same reasons . More $ to be made . You'd think Toyota would do the same as Honda or here in the States . Like at the NUMMI plant in California . Shame they don't .

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by bronsin

Do any of you have access to test equipment that could do that?

Just an idea, but are drinking the synthetic oil instead of using it in Yaris? This might account for your problems....

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

The Reuters article that I found (and mentioned ) deep into the 'Yaris production moving to France' thread stated that the two primary reasons are the rising yen and the 'skyrocketing cost of energy'. I wonder if the problems you are referring to have been included in the 'skyrocketing cost of energy' equation that is in the minds of the top Toyota executives.

All of the Japanese car makers are building plants all over the world. When the value of a currency makes building a car somewhere more profitable, they build them there. With worldwide production capability, they can spit our thousands of cars at higher profits. Even if that profit is a hundred dollars, you do the math!

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by daf62757

Just an idea, but are drinking the synthetic oil instead of using it in Yaris? This might account for your problems....

I know you are trying to come up with an intelligent thought here but its not working....

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by Hershey

In time the Honda Fit is going to be manufactured in Mexico . Probably for same reasons . More $ to be made . You'd think Toyota would do the same as Honda or here in the States . Like at the NUMMI plant in California . Shame they don't .

While looking for information on another subject I found some Honda fit to Mexico information and posted it on 7-7-12 (see my post #96 on the U.S. Yaris.....France thread and the follw up posts by me, why?, and moderator tk-421 up to post #104). This info didn't include radiation as a reason, but it is certainly more than possible.

BTW, thanks for posting the Prius C YT video from MPG-o-matic.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by daf62757

Just an idea, but are drinking the synthetic oil instead of using it in Yaris? This might account for your problems....

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by daf62757

All of the Japanese car makers are building plants all over the world. When the value of a currency makes building a car somewhere more profitable, they build them there. With worldwide production capability, they can spit our thousands of cars at higher profits. Even if that profit is a hundred dollars, you do the math!

Are you implying a variant on James Carville's famous phrase ('It's the Yen, stupid' instead of "It's the economy, stupid"). If not, you are missing the mark, because that;s how you sound. Hmm...who am I going to think might have the most credible information, you or Reuters. I think I'll go with Reuters, especially when the information in their article makes sense. The Reuters article (Toyota to move Yaris North American production to France) lists the Yen AND soaring energy costs as reasons Toyota made this decision. Later in the article they mention three headwinds that are facing all Japanese auto manufacturers---1. costly labor regulations, 2. high corporate taxes, and 3. a post earthquake energy policy deadlock. If soaring energy costs were ONLY attributable to the value of the Yen, why would they list the energy costs as a separate reason? They wouldn't.

Of course it is a 'you do the math' scenario with the value of the Yen likely being the dominant factor...BUT it is not the ONLY factor.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by bronsin

I know you are trying to come up with an intelligent thought here but its not working....

[daf62757]

Originally Posted by nookandcrannycar

Are you implying a variant on James Carville's famous phrase ('It's the Yen, stupid' instead of "It's the economy, stupid"). If not, you are missing the mark, because that;s how you sound. Hmm...who am I going to think might have the most credible information, you or Reuters. I think I'll go with Reuters, especially when the information in their article makes sense. The Reuters article (Toyota to move Yaris North American production to France) lists the Yen AND soaring energy costs as reasons Toyota made this decision. Later in the article they mention three headwinds that are facing all Japanese auto manufacturers---1. costly labor regulations, 2. high corporate taxes, and 3. a post earthquake energy policy deadlock. If soaring energy costs were ONLY attributable to the value of the Yen, why would they list the energy costs as a separate reason? They wouldn't.

Of course it is a 'you do the math' scenario with the value of the Yen likely being the dominant factor...BUT it is not the ONLY factor.

I wasn't thinking of only the Yaris, I was using the Japanese market as a whole. They are building factories all over the world that produce the same car. In Indiana, they just built a Honda plant to build the same line as the Canada plant. They also have an Ohio plant.

If you use the Yaris as the model, you would probably be right, but from a macro perspective, they are going to build cars at factories where the profit margins are higher in relation to the value of the yen vs the country's currency.

[nookandcrannycar]

Originally Posted by daf62757

I wasn't thinking of only the Yaris, I was using the Japanese market as a whole. They are building factories all over the world that produce the same car. In Indiana, they just built a Honda plant to build the same line as the Canada plant. They also have an Ohio plant.

If you use the Yaris as the model, you would probably be right, but from a macro perspective, they are going to build cars at factories where the profit margins are higher in relation to the value of the yen vs the country's currency.

Again, the last four of the five issues discussed in the Reuters article aren't directly related to how the Yen is valued paired to any particular other currency. Those four reasons mentioned are significant enough unto themselves to be part of the reasoning/decision making process, and the last three involve the entire Japanese auto industry, not just Toyota. The location of raw materials issue that Yarisworld moderator tk-421 previously brought up and the effect of trade agreements issue that I previously brought up are other considerations re a prospective plant location, and there may be others.

[nookandcrannycar]

I just came across an article posted to the main Yahoo! Finance page a few hours ago. The article is entitled "Study sees U.S. auto job losses if Japan joins trade pact". One of the most interesting points IMO (and I haven't heard it mentioned elsewhere...and I didn't know this before reading this article...mentioning tarrifs in previous posts was a hunch) is that there is a current 2.5 percent U.S. tariff on Japanese auto imports. The article also discussed currency issues. This seemed to be the most logical thread to post info about this new article to.