J.D. Power has awarded Toyota’s Cambridge North Plant the prestigious Platinum Award for assembling the best quality vehicle globally; the Corolla. This award is the highest possible achievement for an automotive manufacturing plant. In fact, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. was honoured last week with two J.D. Power 2019 Plant Quality awards for their plants in Cambridge, Ontario.
The Cambridge South Plant was recognized with the Bronze Award for building the RX, bringing Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.’s total Plant Awards to 18. This is the third time Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. has received a Platinum Plant Award, and the fourth time it has received two awards in the same year.
These coveted awards, which are part of the J.D. Power 2019 U.S. Initial Quality Study recognize the world’s top automotive plants for producing high-quality vehicles with the fewest defects and malfunctions.
Customers who take part in the J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study purchased or leased 2019 model year vehicles between November 2018 and February 2019. These customers completed the J.D. Power survey ninety days following their purchase. The Plant Awards are determined based on the lowest number of customer reported-problems per vehicle, including defects and malfunctions. The Corolla won Platinum by registering only 17 defects per 100 vehicles.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. currently manufactures the Toyota RAV4 and RAV4 Hybrid, as well as the Lexus RX 350 and RX 450h vehicles at three manufacturing plants in Ontario. In addition to receiving the Platinum and Bronze Plant Awards, the Lexus RX was also honoured with the J.D. Power Award for the top vehicle in its segment.
According to Dave Sargent, Vice President of Global Automotive at J.D. Power, the customer data they gathered supports the high-performance seen at Toyota’s Cambridge locations. “The Cambridge plants have historically performed extremely well, and the data would support the view that they are among the most consistent in North America.”
Fred Volf, President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. attributes the award to the hard work and dedication of his team. “We have the best team members out there,” he told The London Free Press. “They know what the customer expects and they deliver quality, one car at a time. They are proud of the product they make,” he said, adding that “They are hugely engaged and they deliver.”
