Say it aint so: Toyota To Start Making the Prius in China

http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=3&id=345446
Cap'n

"China is now producing one of the most technologically advanced, ecologically sound cars." - a user comment

Aren't most just copies of current cars? e.g. Honda CR-V, Chevrolet Matiz, Honda Odyssey, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Infiniti logo, BMW logo etc.

Don't get me wrong, it's great that China is finally growing and developing and wants to catch up with the rest of the world but I do wish they stop blatantly copying stuff and then getting away with it. I know car designers from all manufacturers take cues from competitors from time to time but an obvious carbon copy at discounted price is a little harsh don't you think?

True. I know that China makes small ATVs and a lot of the designs are exact copies of Honda and Yamaha designs, but the Chinese/Taiwanese ones arent nearly as reliable as the originals.
A while back I saw a Chinese SUV on YotaTech that looked like an exact copycat of a 4Runner. The grille was a little bit different but other than that it looked the same and the specs were the same, right down to the 3.4L V6!
I also think its good that China wants to become an industrialized nation but I think that they should come up with their own designs.
Cap'n

basically, the law needs to catch up.
no protection for anybody who enters China but they cannot leave china out due to 1.2 billion people (big market) and huge supply of resources.

competition is good, but in the right way.

most likely, they are just ripping the design from suppliers or contractors. reverse engineering can be done but it is often expensive.

if there is more protection, that would level out the competition and promote a fair trade practice.

Im surprised that Toyota is going to China to make their vehicles. For the most part, China and Japan dont get along.
China and Japan have a lot of unresolved issues left over from WW2. China recently supported anti-Japanese protests that demanded Japan pay repairations to China over things that happened in WW2.
Im surprised that Toyota didnt just build another plant in Canada or the USA.
Cap'n

Well, to do business in China, every manufacturer MUST pair up with a chinese company and MUST share technology (hence the copycats). Also, your Honda CR-V in China isn't called that. Oh no, it's called the Dong Feng Honda CR-V. The same applies to all other cars. The Chinese "partner's" name is attached to the car.

it would be cheaper to produce it in China compared to North America. China is the world's biggest untapped market so it only makes sense that Toyota wants to play nice with China. Also if I am not mistaken Toyota tries to manufacture cars where they are selling it. China will NEED hybrid technology in their cars or else the pollution would be disgusting. Aren't they buying some hybrid buses already for some of their cities? So I think Toyota made a smart move. That's why they are the best car company in the world. :thumbup:

Having gone to China 10 times in the last 2 years, they really need a clean environmental friendly ca. The air pollution there is terrible. The coal fired power plants burn high-sulfur coal, factories spew smoke like there's no tomorrow and I can go on and on.

These days, China is making quite an impact on the world supply/prices of oil, steel, alumnium etc... Especially Oil.

Anything that can be done to try to curtail the demand of oil in China is welcome in my mind. I hope Toyota sells a lot of them there. It would leave more gasoline left for everybody else.

The Prius may be made in China in the future, but I'm sure most of the majority of the parts will be imported from Japan. China is already one of the biggest producers of batteries in the world, I can see how it would make sense to source those locally, but the get components (like THS components will likely come out of Japan for a very long time).

To be able to produce a Toyota car with Toyota quality also requires a very robust supply chain. So, along with Toyota, you need Denso, Aisin, ToyodaBo, and many of the other major suppliers to set up the infrastructure. In the U.S.,Canada, it's well established now, but in China, it still needs a lot of work.

A Prius made in Canada or the U.S., would be nice, but considering the market, maturity of the supply chain, sourcing strategies and the fact that it's not that far from Japan to China to ship parts, I think it made sense to produce the Prius in China.

Piracy is indeed a problem in China, but for that country to actually be able to independently engineer a decent car is still many decades ahead.

I wonder where the Prius' battery (Panasonic I believe) is made.

I wonder where the Prius' battery (Panasonic I believe) is made.My Fuji digital camera came with Panasonic batteries which were made in Japan. However, I have a Panasonic cordless phone that was made in China. Your guess is as good as mine.
Cap'n

I thought most of the Japanese manufacturers used to have a lot of investment in Hong Kong and Taiwan.. now that they're part of China again.. I'm not sure.

Isnt Hong Kong a city in China???
Where I work we get some of our cast aluminum parts from Taiwan and all the boxes say, "Made In Taiwan - R.O.C." Im guessing that the ROC part means "republic of China".
Cap'n

yeah HK is part of China now before it belonged to England

Isnt Hong Kong a city in China???

It is now.

Taiwan is just funny and confused I think...I mean they look chinese, speak chinese but for some reason they say they're not chinese. Go figure. :confused: