Prafull Koli
07-08-2003, 11:17 PM
GEORGETOWN, Ky. (AP) -- The first of the second-generation Camry Solaras rolled off the assembly line Monday as company officials touted the car as the most American of any Toyota to date.
Under a banner that read "The All-American Solara" and with the Neil Diamond song "America" playing in the background, a red Solara -- with a red, white and blue bow on top -- was unveiled during a ceremony at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, where the car will be exclusively built. Plans are to build about 30,000 Solaras through the end of 2003, with production of 64,000 cars planned for 2004.
The car isn't technically 100 percent American -- it's built on a Camry platform, which means Japan-based Toyota is responsible for the engine, transmission and drive train, said Gary Convis, president of Toyota's plant at Georgetown, which employs more than 7,000 people.
But from planning to design to engineering to assembly, all phases of the Solara's production have been done in the U.S.
"Toyota has got platform responsibility," Convis said. "But to customize that to the beauty of what we think will attract the American consumer, we take responsibility in North America to design it, build it and sell it."
All previous Toyota products have been designed in Japan, said Wil James, the vice president of manufacturing at the Georgetown plant.
http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/images/070803/toyotasolara.jpg
Under a banner that read "The All-American Solara" and with the Neil Diamond song "America" playing in the background, a red Solara -- with a red, white and blue bow on top -- was unveiled during a ceremony at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, where the car will be exclusively built. Plans are to build about 30,000 Solaras through the end of 2003, with production of 64,000 cars planned for 2004.
The car isn't technically 100 percent American -- it's built on a Camry platform, which means Japan-based Toyota is responsible for the engine, transmission and drive train, said Gary Convis, president of Toyota's plant at Georgetown, which employs more than 7,000 people.
But from planning to design to engineering to assembly, all phases of the Solara's production have been done in the U.S.
"Toyota has got platform responsibility," Convis said. "But to customize that to the beauty of what we think will attract the American consumer, we take responsibility in North America to design it, build it and sell it."
All previous Toyota products have been designed in Japan, said Wil James, the vice president of manufacturing at the Georgetown plant.
http://www.thehollandsentinel.net/images/070803/toyotasolara.jpg