In the same factory where they used to construct the spectacular $400,000 Lexus LFA, workers now assemble the $57,000 hydrogen fuel cell Toyota Mirai. Here's how they do it, by hand.
Toyota recently released these videos as part of a big PR push on the anniversary of being raked over the coals by the US government in the totally bullshit unintended acceleration drama five years ago. Only Toyota would remember such a crisis in such a public manner, as The Daily Kanban points out.
There is still some notable humility in their description of the Mirai's assembly.
"You might imagine a very advanced plant," Akio Toyoda told the press, "but in reality, it's far from that."
It takes 13 workers a full day to build just three cars, some of whom used to build LFAs in the same Motomachi factory. You can watch them affix the hydrogen fuel cell to the car and secure them with carbon fiber armor. You can see them put the front end's electric drive together.
There are no robots. There are no conveyor belts.
Why is it so interesting that the most advanced car from the world's largest automaker is built in the least advanced manner possible?
Contact the author at raphael@jalopnik.com.