Toyota 2012 Annual Report Download - page 11

Management and
Corporate Information Investor Information
Changes for Making
Ever-Better Cars
Toyota Global Vision Business and
Performance Review Financial Section Special FeaturePresident
ʼ
s Message Medium- to Long-Term
Growth Initiatives
TOYOTA ANNUAL REPORT 2012
More effective and attractive
We are reforming our development structure so as to make better cars. We thoroughly research
the factors that go into making a better car, and have divided our carmaking into four zones: cars
specialized to meet tastes and car sense (especially sports cars); eet and personal transportation
vehicles; trucks, buses, and other vehicles with a social purpose; and nally, next-generation
vehicles, such as green vehicles and concepts. We try to come up with better cars for each zone
by incorporating the design and performance features our customers have in mind so as to meet
their expectations.
Toyota’s ultimate goal is ever-better products.
To achieve our goal we design parts with good features,
and standardize these for each region,
spanning different platforms.
This provides better efciency and cost reduction,
with the resulting savings used to improve products further.
This virtuous cycle for building better cars leads to
sustained growth.
Toyota’s Medium- to Long-Term Growth Initiatives
Ⅰ
: Innovation in development, design and procurement-1
Synthesizing Design and Planning
for Better Basic Performance and
Improved Products We are reforming our developmental structure by
engaging in design and development improvement,
localized carmaking, and organizational/structural
improvements. We are reorganizing our organiza-
tional structures around the chief engineers, who are in
closest proximity to consumers, by strengthening their
authority within the decision-making process in design
and other areas in their capacity as general development
coordinators. Also, we are making steady progress
in reforming the development structure through the
introduction of our new framework for developing
better cars, called the Toyota New Global Architecture
(TNGA). The TNGA provides the foundation for the
growth that will propel the opening up of the next
generation by strengthening Toyota’s international
competitiveness.
vehicle development framework through the blending
of planning and design.
While of course seeking to boost basic vehicle
performance, we are also establishing new platforms
based on the TNGA that optimize design freedom
and ergonomics, such as driving position. The TNGA
provides a foundation for grouping development, which
enables the standardization of parts and components
across different models, improving the efciency of the
development process while reducing costs.
The introduction of the TNGA and subsequent
parts standardization results in manpower and cost
reductions, which leads to the making of better cars
through efforts that span activities such as technology,
sales, procurement and production technology by
freeing up manpower for use in development. This
leads to product improvements in areas such as
basic performance and design improvement, cost-
competitiveness, and quality assurance. The TNGA
will be implemented over the coming years as we
successively introduce new vehicle models.
Initiatives Overview
One facet of Toyota’s efforts to build ever-better cars
is the introduction of TNGA, which revolutionizes the
Toyota New Global Architecture
(TNGA)
Current R&D Efforts
Enhancing design
1
Localized carmaking
3
Enhancing development
2
Organizational and structural improvements
4
Toyota

s New Approach to Carmaking
Improve product
presentation
(
equipment, quality
)
Boost basic vehicle
performance
Grouping development to
enable standardization
of parts and components
across different models
Working with suppliers to
reduce unit costs
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