Local Manufacturing
Toyota assembled a variety of vehicles in New Zealand from the 1960s through to late 1998. Complete knock down (CKD) kits were brought in from Japan and assembled in plants located in Thames and Christchurch. Locally produced components were also used, and included items such as tyres, seats, trims, and glass. Vehicles that were locally assembled were Corolla, Corona, Celica, Hilux, and Hi-ace.
However, during 1998 the New Zealand Government decided that tariffs on imported cars would be abolished. This led to the remaining four local assemblers (Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mitsubishi) to announce that they would end local assembly and switch to importing fully built-up vehicles. Cars manufactured in Australia, including Toyota Australia's Camry, were already being imported into New Zealand duty-free under the Closer Economic Relations (CER) agreement.
Toyota New Zealand decided that it would turn its sole remaining plant at Thames into a refurbishment centre for the resale of used imports from Japan, designated as Signature Class.
Read more about this topic: Toyota New Zealand
Famous quotes containing the word local:
“There is the falsely mystical view of art that assumes a kind of supernatural inspiration, a possession by universal forces unrelated to questions of power and privilege or the artist’s relation to bread and blood. In this view, the channel of art can only become clogged and misdirected by the artist’s concern with merely temporary and local disturbances. The song is higher than the struggle.”
—Adrienne Rich (b. 1929)