Putting it in proper perspective, a consulting firm has determined that Nissan leads the pack by manufacturing a car in a little over three and a half working days.
Yes, Troy-based Harbour Consulting said Nissan’s per-car North American plant average is 28.5 hours.
Nissan’s productivity figure compares with 29.4 hours in 2004 but does not include its plants in Mexico, which do not participate in the voluntary data sharing on which the report depends.
Harbour points out that Nissan’s productivity lead amounts to a cost advantage of $300 to $450 per vehicle over less productive manufacturers.
Toyota Motor Corp., which took first place in 2004 at 27.9 hours, came in second in 2005 at 29.4 hours. Honda Motor Co.’s third-place score of 32.5 hours was half an hour more than the previous year.
General Motors Corp. was close behind Honda in productivity at 33.2 hours, followed by Chrysler at 33.7 hours. Ford comes in at 35.
The domestic Big Three have been steadily catching up to Japanese automakers. The difference between the most productive and the least productive narrowed to 7.3 hours in 2005 from 9.1 hours in 2004 and 16.6 hours in 1998.
Because quality is up, plants are spending far less time repairing vehicles when they come off the line, Harbour said.
The report measures productivity at assembly, stamping, engine and transmission plants. It calculates the number of hours worked by salaried and hourly employees at a plant and divides that by the number of units produced.
Another big difference is profitability. According to the study, Nissan, Toyota and Honda each earned more than $1,200 before taxes on every vehicle sold in North America in 2005. In contrast, Chrysler Group earned $223, while Ford lost $590 and GM lost $2,496 per vehicle.
This reflects differences in health care and pension costs, as well as rebates and low-interest financing used to cut inventories, the report said.
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Mossy Toyota in Pacific Beach is introducing the 2007 Yaris, the automaker’s smallest and least expensive vehicle. It replaces the Echo in the subcompact segment.
However, Echo still will be around since its chassis is the stronghold in the Yaris and two Scion models.
In a release, Mossy Toyota general manage Jason Mossy stated, “The new Yaris adds a fresh level of refinement, sophistication and fun-to-drive performance to the subcompact segment as one of the most economical and youthful passenger cars Toyota has ever built.”
Although considered a subcompact, the space efficiency inside the Yaris is apparent, making it appear larger and more spacious than it is. Designed with younger drivers in mind, an optional audio system includes a mini-jack port for MP3 and iPod playing capability.
The new front-wheel drive Yaris comes equipped with an aluminum alloy, 1.5 liter, four-cylinder transverse front engine like those found in the Toyota Scion and Prius. Capable of producing 106 hp at 6000 rpm, the peppy engine features electronic throttle control, a timing chain rather than a belt for lower maintenance, a ULEV-II emissions rating, and variable valve timing with intelligence (VVT-i).
It delivers 34 miles per gallon city and 40 mpg highway with the manual transmission and 34/39 with the automatic.
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Book review: It’s called “Fast Track and Fairy Tales,” a blend of NASCAR experiences set to children’s story themes.
It was written by stock car racing enthusiast Cheryl K. Stemple, whose 90 pages covers such topics as The Elves and the Engine Builder, The Driver That Could, ‘Twas the Night Before Daytona and Here We Go Racing at Rockingham.
Not sure how the drivers will take to these comparisons, nor those enduring fans who sit for hours in stands, but it’s a novel approach. Published by iUniverse, Inc. it sells for $9.95.
Look for Johnny McDonald’s “Auto Biography” column each month in the Village News. n