Would you be concerned or pay considerably more for a Japanese build ES over a US build?

Visiting Japan a few years back, it amazed me at how much pride in work people had, and then I understood 'thats why Japanese quality products are so good'

Two concerns I'd have is:

1. Japanese Factories better quality

2. The US ES assembly line (and maybe the entire factory?) is still new, so they might not have all assembly line issues resolved.

Anyone have any thoughts? Are the above true statements, or false myths

 

I believe that there are cultural differences between the Japanese and other peoples. They do take great pride in production of vehicles and other products. One should be aware that most of the knowledge and expertise used by Japan was conveyed to them from AMERICA. The U.S.A. practically rebuilt Japan after WW2 and exported the skills, experience and knowledge there to facilitate reconstruction. This being said, I believe that Americans can and will produce vehicles in Kentucky just as good or better than their counterparts in Japan. My only caveat would be startup issues that get resolved in time.

 

It's a whole new assembly line just for the Lexus. Quality control is very high right now. There are a LOT of Japanese workers here right now, making sure the ES is built to the correct standards. I just bought an ES yesterday. Built right here. Still phenomenal quality. There is a video that Lexus posted about the training involved to even be considered qualified to be on the Lexus team.

 

I wouldn't even look to see if it was built in Japan or in the US. Would make no difference to me.

 

Made a difference to me. I specifically bought a made in Japan model.

 

All other things being equal, it wouldn't matter to me either. Unfortunately, not all things are equal just yet. The Japanese plant and employees have more experience and a more mature assembly line. After a year or so of production, I wouldn't have any concerns about the US production.

I had a US produced Avalon and the reliability was great, but minor problems with interior panels (window switch panel) falling out. I would point out that I discovered the door cup on my NX laying on the floor recently and it was produced in Japan so any factory can have problems with all the plastic in use these days. It is pretty unforgiving if it doesn't fit just right.

 

I went out of my way trying and succeeding in getting my 2016 ES 350 as a car assembled in Japan but my success was largely having a build date at about the same time as the KY plant started up which I agree may really have been a problem. I understand that almost all ES 350 production is or soon will be in KY so your only option may to buy a ES 300H. And I do believe that in time the cars built in KY will be of Lexus quality. I just don't know about right now.

And I'm old enough to remember when people wouldn't buy anything made in Japan so I find this interesting. I remember getting toy trucks as a child that were made from unpainted beer cans and looked forward to taking them apart to confirm that they were.

Dave Mac

 

I am old enough to remember my Dad buying a Big 3 auto that may as well have been made out of beer cans. I remember very clearly the radiator in the car needing to be replaced 13 months after purchase, ie. one month out of the warranty period of 12 months.

 

Yes, I remember that period too. I loved American cars and probably my favorite was a 1960 Dodge Dart in it's first year. It was beautiful in a steel gray, whitewalls, of course etc. but with it's slant six engine it would stall our when it rained, the clutch would stick to the floor and within a two years most of the paint had come off. I think that car ended my father's 30 plus years relationship with Chrysler cars. He went to Ford with just somewhat better results - the first one he got was a 1962 which was delivered with no oil in the crankcase and lasted part of a day. Then he went to a Chevy.

Dave Mac

 

Japanese quality has been excellent since the mid sixties. Our first Japanese car was a 1068 Toyota Corona. This was the time when most cars were not very reliable, but I still remember that the '68 Corona was extremely reliable. Practically nothing went wrong with it for the 10 years I was with it. Only thing I remember was that The float valve in the carburetor started not closing properly resulting in poor starting due to flooding. The car was very advanced for its time and had an alternator, 12V power and sealed beam headlights. This was a big step from the DC generators that had poor reliability. What I remember also is that the car was very quiet. We had such good experience with it that we have had Toyotas in our family since than and other than our 1997 Camry catching fire (due to a known sludge issue) back in 2011, we have not had any problems.

 

I talked to a friend of mine today, who works at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY.

Let's just say that there are a lot of folks unhappy with production volumes at this point. Anyone ordering a vehicle better prepare to wait.

 

My ES300h is made in Japan and I made the dealer swap off the bridgestones and put Michelins on
And I am happy
I honestly think the Japan model is better

 

How would you make the comparison?

 

Since all Lexus hybrids are built in Japan, there is no other choice.

 

You beat me to that question. We really enjoy our 300h but without being able to compare it to a US built version, I don't see how one can make such a characterization.