And they said it couldn't be done ...

June 3, 2003 7:13 AM

Manufacturing cars doesn't have to be a dirty business
Hats off to Toyota, which along with Honda, has a no-bullshit commitment to the environment.
posted by magullo (7 comments total)

"...a stunning 52 mpg?"
Come on. We can so do better than that. How sad that beating a Hummer counts for progress these days.
posted by DenOfSizer at 9:12 AM on June 3, 2003

I would like us to do better that 52mpg, but right now I wish I was getting 52. My car is 10 years old, and has very low miles. My guess is that it will be 2020 before I hit 100k. If I were getting that 52mpg, I would be filling up 4 times a year by my estimate. I have been told that buying a new car, no matter how clean the manufacture is does more damage than sticking with an older less efficient car as long as possible. If that makes any sense to anyone, does that sound correct? I think The gas savings would be significant enough to consider a switch while my current car still has value.
posted by thirteen at 10:16 AM on June 3, 2003

I can state categorically that the numbers for the Civic Hybrid are overstated. Mine only gets, on an average tank, 49mpg.

But I'm happy to get those 49 miles.
posted by obfusciatrist at 10:58 AM on June 3, 2003

That green electric thing has to be California only. I doubt the toyota plants in TN and WV could find green power in the area. Yet alone get it to their plants, and get enough of it supplied to them to keep their doors open. That part of the country is loaded with coal. There's virtually no green power there at all.

Does toyota even have a manufacturing plant in California?
posted by klaruz at 5:21 PM on June 3, 2003

Does toyota even have a manufacturing plant in California?

yes, in Fremont and Long Beach.

here's a list of the North American plants.
posted by goddam at 6:21 PM on June 3, 2003

What DenOfSizer said.


And please, people: don't believe the hype.
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:34 PM on June 3, 2003

There is a new trend/meme in engineering nowadays: Design for Environment. This is true especially in UE where there is legislation in place requiring the manufacturers to take back (and recycle) most of the electronic appliances.

What is not common knowledge is that recycling requires product redesign. And, since a firm is redesigning the product from scratch, not just adding on to the previous design, it takes time and effort. But, it gives the firm an enormous competitive advantage: lower production costs, no pollution penalties, a "new" label attached to the product.

There are a few very good starting steps, I would like to mention just one tool: Eco-indicator. If you are interested, try to download the demo and read the methodology.

However, sometimes it is much more easier to "recycle" the products in China (old news) ...
posted by MzB at 8:34 PM on June 3, 2003