Toyota carmaker Toyota is opening a whole new chapter in its existence. For the first time in history, it starts producing two completely different cars here.
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This week, Toyota officially launched series production of the Yaris model at its Czech factory in Kolín-Ovčáry. The first production car rolled off the local assembly line on Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at about 10:20. It is a historic milestone for the race, for the first time in its existence it produces a car with a hybrid drive, moreover with a completely different construction than before.
The start of Yaris production in Cologne is part of this year’s changes to this factory. The plant, still known as TPCA, came under Toyota’s full control at the beginning of the year, it was renamed Toyota Motor Manufacturing Czech Republic (TMMCZ) following the example of other carmakers. and transformed the production portfolio. Toyota has ended its cooperation with Citroën and Peugeot in the field of mini-cars, so their C1 and 108 models will be discontinued this year.
It was to start production in Cologne according to the original plans as early as August. However, the coronavirus pandemic, with the consequent shortage of production components, negatively affected production, so the plant preferred to focus on completing previously ordered cars. That is why Yaris will not start mass production in the Czech Republic until November.
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This is a historic milestone for Toyota in Cologne. For the first time in history, the plant in Kolín-Ovčáry will produce a car with a hybrid drive. In addition, for the first time ever, two models with a completely different construction will come off the assembly line. 108, C1 and Aygo had a different look, but their technical basis was the same. This Yaris differs from the current Aygu, is a segment larger and uses the modular TNGA GA-B platform. However, he will switch to here as well new Aygo X, which will start production in Cologne in 2022. This tiny crossover is expected to reach retailers sometime in early June.
It was these changes that required investments in the amount of 4.5 billion crowns. These were used to build new halls, used both for logistics purposes (eg battery storage for hybrid design) and for pre-production of selected vehicle parts. The factory has been preparing for the start of Yaris production for about three years.
As part of the changes, new suppliers were involved, some of them from the Czech Republic, but some are also from Japan, Toyota’s homeland. In addition, 1,600 new employees were hired here.
The Toyota Yaris will continue to be manufactured at the Valenciennes plant in France. Both factories will be able to produce any variant of the car, but due to logistics, it is assumed that the plants will share selected specifications. It is also offered that, due to logistics, the French plant will serve the nearest Western European markets, while the Czech plant will serve the Central European markets. However, the CEO of the TMMCZ plant, Robert Kiml, emphasizes that both Yaris produced in France and the Czech Republic are completely identical in terms of the quality of production or equipment. However, some components may come from other vendors, even though they look the same.
Yaris is manufactured in Cologne on the same line as Aygo et al. Assembly takes about eight hours from compression. However, due to more complex technology, more components are assembled at some sites. In any case, the factory produces models as needed, which does not mean that they are created in a certain cycle, for example, ten Yaris in a row and then ten Ayga pieces.
The just-in-time method is still used, when the Cologne plant has minimal warehouses – a large part of the components go straight to the assembly line after import from suppliers. There are about parts for only about 400 cars. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic and the related shortage of parts, Toyota has adjusted its logistics, but still believes in the just-in-time method. If nothing currently happens, TMMCZ has enough production parts by the end of the year.
However, in the future, TMMCZ’s production will be split in half between Yaris and the new Aygo. Currently, there are 700 to 800 cars a day, and in the future it could be up to 980 cars a day. One car comes off the assembly line every 67 seconds. The first serial piece, the red hybrid, remains at the factory.
The start of production of the Toyota Yaris is also related to the effort to make the most efficient use of the Cologne plant. Thanks to the production of two models, the factory will not be so dependent on the life cycle of a single model, so it will be easier to fill production capacity more efficiently. By the way, production of the current Citroën C1, Peugeot 108 and Toyota Ayga will end by the end of the year. Orders for three cars have already ended.
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