First Subaru, then BMW rumors, and now Mazda?
If Toyota is so great why do they keep needing others to show them how to build a car we (enthusiasts) want to buy?
Mazda has brought joy to millions of people over the years with their MX-5.
One of our favorite Toyotas usually leaves the factory in Scion guise.
Toyota Motor Corporation and Mazda Motor Corporation today entered an agreement to build a mutually beneficial long-term partnership. If all goes according to plan, according to today’s release both companies will be able to leverage each other’s resources and enhance their products and technologies. The partnership will hopefully result in more appealing cars that meet the diverse needs and tastes of customers all over the world.
Now, this isn’t exactly completely out of the blue. Previous collaboration between Toyota and Mazda has included the licensing of Toyota’s hybrid technologies to Mazda and the production of compact Toyotas at Mazda’s plant in Mexico.
But the two manufacturing heavyweights have taken the next step and have officially declared themselves allies. It’s an interesting partnership. Mazda’s philosophy tends to focus on building fun cars-to-drive. Meanwhile, Toyota focuses on creating better cars and even better business practices to promote sustainable growth.
We’re really looking forward to the future cars that result from this deal.
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First Subaru, then BMW rumors, and now Mazda?
If Toyota is so great why do they keep needing others to show them how to build a car we (enthusiasts) want to buy?
Few people realize that without Toyota, Porsche would be an extinct brand. Car & Driver did an article on this back in 1995.
In 1987, Shingijutsu was formed in Gifu (close to Nagoya), Japan. The founder, Yoshiki Iwata, was an original member of the Toyota Autonomous Study Group (a project team comprised of Toyota's subsidiary companies). This Study Group first developed Toyota's lean production practices (the Kaizen system). The study activities enabled Mr. Iwata to contribute in establishing the Toyota Production System (TPS) as a primary pupil of Mr. Taiichi Ohno (an originator of the TPS concept).
In January 1996, The New York Times published a full two-page article describing Mr. Iwata's contribution to the rehabilitation of the German sports-car manufacturer, Porsche. Porsche had asked Shingijutsu for consulting services after the company lost 240 million Marks in July 1993. Porsche's product line-up hinders straight production because the company produces few units of many different models of cars. The beneficial effects of the Kaizen were quickly and dramatically apparent: daily production increased from 40 to 80 vehicles. In 1995, Porsche successfully returned to profitability by implementing the Kaizen methodology that Shingijutsu had proposed.
That's exactly how I see both companies: one is stodgy and conservative to a fault and the other more frivolous and driver oriented.
I think Toyota is scared of Ford!
I would love to DD something like a Mazda6 with the reliability of a Toyota.
Yep, Toyota definitely has it more together than most when it comes to lean manufacturing. I took a full semester-long course in college based on Ohno's work and TPS. My hope is that it helps Mazda create even more awesome things.
Junkyard_Dog wrote: First Subaru, then BMW rumors, and now Mazda? If Toyota is so great why do they keep needing others to show them how to build a car we (enthusiasts) want to buy?
You have that backwards- Mazda wants to make cars that drivers want to own, but can't seem to make enough to sell to people who don't care. Which is why they were with Ford, and, IMHO, now team up with Toyota.
Ed- I'm sure Mazda appreciates you calling them heavyweights- and in the pure number of enthusiests cars- they are. But in the world of mass selling of cars, they are not that big. Toyota and GM (and kinda Ford) are on a very different overall level of car making in terms of numbers.
trucke wrote: I would love to DD something like a RX-9 with the reliability of a Toyota.
FTFY 
They said they need money to push rotary development (aka sugar daddy) so who knows....
I think it will be a good partnership between the two.
why are we all shouting???
because the idea of a Miata coupe Frisbee twin is shout worthy
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