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59 MPG Toyota iQ On Sale In Europe, US Plans Unclear
I own some Toyota stock (and bought a bit more recently) based on their excellent management and production system and the results they have achieved (so I pay attention to what they are doing - plus I own them because they do things I see as wise so it is a self reinforcing dynamic). Business week recently wrote about Ford’s 65 mpg Diesel Car the U.S. Can’t Have.
I owned Ford stock back when they were adopting Deming based management principles but when they dropped those to pursue short sighted goals and poor management practices I sold and bought Toyota (turned out to be a very wise decision - my mistake was holding Ford too long hoping they would realize their mistake).
Related: Toyota Engineering Development Process - Toyota Cultivating Engineering Talent - Toyota Winglet, Personal Transportation - Toyota iUnit - Toyota iQ media kit (lots of details)
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October 28th, 2008 at 1:31 pm
The Toyota iQ is a great example of using technology to improve economy. One of the most important processes in creating a car like the Toyota iQ is discovering how the weight and material can be reduced. More than ever, engineers rely on optimization CAE software to accomplish this. With topology optimization software, the engineer can import a design model of a part or car component, then the software will analyze the stress points to determine what areas of the structure can be omitted or reinforced. A typical result is that a box or other fully enclosed structure will have many unneeded areas where holes can be made to reduce material and weight. Reducing weight this way creates a virtuous cycle allowing the size and weight of many components of the vehicle to be reduced. This overall size and weight reduction is the primary factor in increasing gas mileage of the Toyota iQ to 59 MPG. Corey Chambers, NEi Software