Quote:
Originally Posted by ldjessee00
Part of the normal cycle for a car company is building new plants, not just retooling the plants they already have? Interesting.
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Yes, companies are continually building new plants. Sales patterns shift, new markets open up, plants just get old and out of date. There comes a time when it is cheaper to start fresh than to try to work around the existing floor plan.
The oldest plant I work in dates to the 50's and the newest the late 00's. The new plant is WAY more efficient because it was laid out for a modern assembly line. The oldest plant is tiny, cramped and landlocked. Each vehicle cost thousands more to produce there.
GM is building a new $2.3 billion battery factory in Lordstown with a planned output of 30 GWh of batteries a year. The old Lordstown assembly plant that opened in 1966 will be abandoned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ldjessee00
I think continually replacing durable items is not a way to move to sustainable transportation. Designing systems in a modular way and offering updates when it makes sense (like offering an update/replacement for the display/infotainment unit in the Model S) makes more sense than expecting customers to buy a whole new car just because the manufacturer changed a body line, changed parts suppliers for some component, and wants to them to buy a whole new one.
I can understand updates for safety and fuel efficiency... but updating a car every 3 years, where most of the change is subtle, makes no real difference in the way the car operates or performs, and most people who own the previous model year could not point out the differences seems like a waste.
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I would agree with you if the old cars were being throw away. However, they aren't the are passed from owner to owner as they get older and older. At the end of the chain a 25-30 year old car gets scrapped when the new car gets made. The reality is only about 7% of the population buys a new car in a given year and many people never buy a new car.
Also stamping tools and other tools don't last forever. They they can only make a limited number of parts and then need to be replaced. If you are going to remake a tool you might as well change the styling instead of spending millions to make the same old thing.
In general a car gets a refresh after 3 years. New front clip, new rear clip, new interior.
Progress is made a little bit at a time. Those little details that save 0.5% fuel economy add up.
