Toyota
is considering Australia as the future home of its R&D operations for Asia,
based on the country’s low wage rates compared with Japan and generous government
support, AutoAsia Online reported.
The website said that Japan’s top car maker already has design centres
in the US and Europe geared toward creating models for their regional markets,
but still largely develops cars for Asian markets in Japan.
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Toyota Australia carries out a degree of local development and local manufacturing
engineering on the Camry and Avalon models it builds for its home market, Australia,
New Zealand and the Middle East, but the basic design work is done is Japan
and the USA.
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Now, AutoAsia Online said, Australia is a serious contender with officials
pointing to a five-year scheme, launched earlier this year by the Australian
federal government at a cost of $A2 billion ($US1 billion), that subsidises
up to 45% of the costs associated with developing cars to be built overseas.
The officials also cite cheap land, building materials and labour compared
with Japan, the website said, adding that it is reckoned that overall R&D
costs are about half as much in Australia.
AutoAsia Online said that motor industry analysts also point to the fact that
nearly a third of Australia’s immigrants are now of Asian origin, making it
fairly easy to hire R&D personnel who are familiar with tastes and requirements
in the region.
Four years ago, General Motors opened an Asia-Pacific regional design centre
in Melbourne, AutoAsia Online said. That facility now employs 160 engineers
and designers who develop vehicles for production in China, Thailand and India.
General Motors’ Holden subsidiary is, like Toyota Australia, a major exporter
of both right and left hand drive built-up cars to New Zealand, the Middle East
and Africa and also ships four cylinder petrol engines to GM subsidiaries around
the world.
The GM design centre’s R&D revenues from overseas stood at $A80 million
last year, up 30%, AutoAsia Online said.
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