Earlier, the AIADA newsletter reported that Jim Press, the president of Toyota Motor North America Inc., said that Michigan will continue to play a central role in the transformation that is taking place in the global automotive industry.
Press added that the industry is in the midst of a technological shift as automakers, governments, and private citizens work to reduce the impact of the automobile on the environment and reduce this nation's dependency on foreign oil. He was also quoted saying: "The intellectual energy for this transition in technology -- this new era of automobiles -- is really here. It's here in Michigan."
Apparently, the automaker is investing heavily in its new research and development center in York Township. The facility, which is now under construction in south of Ann Harbor, is said to augment Toyota's technical center in the city. The facility will also require the widening of the company's workforce. Additionally, it is expected to more than double Toyota's employment. The automaker plans to employ about 1,200 workers to work in the $187 million-worth complex. Most of them will be high-paid engineers. However, Toyota said the number could grow even bigger over time.
Separately, Toyota is standing by its philosophy that focuses on making cars that customers want. The automaker earlier said that it is not trying to unseat any of the Detroit-based automakers, but is merely making cars and trucks that people want to buy.
Press suggested some of the American car companies lost sight of that mission in recent years. "We just continue to focus on how you can give better customer satisfaction, how you build better loyalty, how you can get better products to the customers," Press said during an informal gathering at the Detroit Athletic Club today. "If there are some other companies that haven't been able to focus as we have on products and customer satisfaction, they're going through the adjustments now so they can."
Press named General Motors Corp. and the Ford Motor Co. as two that fall into that camp, along with Germany's Volkswagen AG. "It's a tough business," he noted. "They're taking the right actions."
Toyota is not unconcerned about the impact problems at the traditional Big Three have on how it is perceived in the U.S. marketplace, or on Capitol Hill, Press said. "We're always mindful of the consequences of a couple companies not performing well," he emphasized, but added that he does not expect a return to the protectionism of the past.
The automaker has already attained ideal standing in the hybrid technology. The use of , high-performance engines, sophisticated radiators, wheels and other auto parts is not enough for the automaker. It continues to unravel different technologies to further the overall appeal of its lineup.
Toyota's sales rose by about 13 percent in 2006. The figure gives the Japanese manufacturer 15 percent of the domestic market to oust DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group from the number three slot in the United States.
