2014 Yaris' on the lot "and" built in Japan!

[Onwrdigo]

Went by my dealer a few days ago. And there were two brand new shiny 2014 Yaris LE 4-Doors sitting in the front. I had to take a look. Sure nuff''....they have the position on the light switch for the daytime driving lights. And get this''''....They have Japanese VIN Numbers....made in Japan! The parts sticker says Japan everything! Nothing "French" mentioned on these cars??? Wonder what is up with that? Could they be the very last batch of cars built in Japan??...If so, these will be the rarest of all 3rd Generation Yaris' built ...a Japanese built 2014 Yaris with the daytime driving lights.

By the way, every single thing else, is exactly the same as the 2012 and 2013 LE models....Interior, seats, wheel covers, grill, front lights, back lights. No changes other than choosing whether or not you want to run your daytime driving lights.

So where are the "French"-built Yaris' we have all talked about???

[CTScott]

According the the press releases from May, 25,000 US/Canada/Puerto Rico bound Yaris will be produced in France this year. I am not sure if that means it will be a cut-over at some point, or if they will sneak them in amongst the Japanese made ones.

[CTScott]

Perhaps this picture from the factory in France is an indication that the French ones will be heading North of the border first:

toyota-yaris-french-factory.jpg

[roxy1]

it does not matter. just like every other Toyota that is built all over the place, nobody is going to notice a degradation in quality or reliability. Toyota's reliability ranking are right where they were when many more of their cars coming to N. America were built in Japan.

[gollygirl1]

So what doe the vin number for the Japanese version start with?

I would not worry if my car was made in France - so are all the top designers - they have excellent production factories - I buy Louis Vuitton and love the "Made in France" pieces!

[DonM]

The VIN of a made in Japan vehicle will always begin with the letter "J"

[HowlingKing]

Originally Posted by Onwrdigo

If so, these will be the rarest of all 3rd Generation Yaris' built ...a Japanese built 2014 Yaris with the daytime driving lights.

So where are the "French"-built Yaris' we have all talked about???

Bro it's just a Toyota Yaris, I honestly don't think there is anything rare here...

[Absolutely Red 12]

Originally Posted by HowlingKing

Bro it's just a Toyota Yaris, I honestly don't think there is anything rare here...

Have you ever owned a French built car?
Even the French look for the "J"!!

[roxy1]

the plant in France has been spec'd out to produce the car exactly the way it was produced in Japan. the parts will come out of the Toyota Parts Centre South of France (TPCSF).

people act like the yaris will now be made out of French designed and built car parts and somehow Toyota will forget how they make quality cars in every other non Japanese plant they operate.

[Kal-El]

roxy1 shares some good points. Toyota goes through great lengths to insure quality control in all of its plants around the world. The most important element of quality is the original design and engineering, which is of course is Toyota. Then it's the assembly which Toyota oversees stringently.

With that said, is the there a difference in assembly quality from Japan and everywhere else? Ultimately, I think there's likely only a slight difference because of Japans work ethics and perhaps some higher skill levels in manufacturing. So although Toyota oversees assembly elsewhere, they can't oversee every single detail of every worker which may lead to slight variations.

People have seemed to notice superiority in Japanese built models but really we're dealing with minor differences. It's the same parts, same designs, same engineering that goes into these cars.

[bronsin]

The water pump of my Made In Japan 2009 3 door Yaris leaked at 25k miles.

Now I raise the hood once a month to check for pink stains on the bottom.

I think the wp is covered 5 years 50,000 miles under the warranty.

Is that right?

How bad could the French ones be?

[yougojay]

Originally Posted by Absolutely Red 12

Have you ever owned a French built car?
Even the French look for the "J"!!

[Absolutely Red 12]

Originally Posted by bronsin

The water pump of my Made In Japan 2009 3 door Yaris leaked at 25k miles.

How bad could the French ones be?

Water Pump at 25K, really, you're complaining??

[bronsin]

Originally Posted by Absolutely Red 12

Water Pump at 25K, really, you're complaining??

My sons 2000 ECHO has ~190,000 miles on it on the origional water pump.

Yeah Im complaining!

[DebbyM46227]

Originally Posted by bronsin

The water pump of my Made In Japan 2009 3 door Yaris leaked at 25k miles.

Now I raise the hood once a month to check for pink stains on the bottom.
I think the wp is covered 5 years 50,000 miles under the warranty.
Is that right?
How bad could the French ones be?

IIRC, it's 60,000 miles/5 years - covered by the drivetrain warranty.

[Hershey]

Originally Posted by bronsin

My sons 2000 ECHO has ~190,000 miles on it on the origional water pump.

Yeah Im complaining!

+1 , Shouldn't be happening . Had a '86 Corolla 4 door hatch with the 3 speed auto that went 275,000+ mis. and no waterpump issue . Engine finally crapped out due to worn / broken ring or rings . All time favorite car . The new waterpump for the sedan seems to be fine . Keeping an eye on the underside of the hood .

[Hershey]

The new Yaris may give attitude like that of the French castle scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail . " I fart in your general direction " . Here's the scene from the movie , http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V7zbWNznbs , a classic ! . May encounter a whoopee cushion implanted in the drivers seat or one used for the driver side airbag .

[Hershey]

Originally Posted by Absolutely Red 12

Have you ever owned a French built car?
Even the French look for the "J"!!

. A.B., thanks for the inspiration .