Conspicuous conservation is the theme of our latest podcast, called “Hey Baby, Is That a Prius You’re Driving?” It centers around a paper by Alison and Steve Sexton, a pair of Ph.D. economics candidates (who happen to be twins, and who happen to have economist parents), called “Conspicuous Conservation: The Prius Effect and Willingness to Pay for Environmental Bona Fides.”
Includes an appearance by Tim Harford.
Tagged with cars consumption environment freakonomics-radio toyota tim harford
Toyota, the world’s biggest car company, is in crisis, accused of putting the public at risk by selling cars that could potentially accelerate out of control. A company respected for years for its core principles, its reputation is now badly damaged. Justin Rowlatt asks how this happened and whether Toyota can recover.
Tagged with toyota cars safety consumer automobile japan automotive quality regulation business
Next week, New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., a factory once run by both General Motors and Toyota, will close in Fremont, Calif. The factory is called NUMMI for short and — on the surface — it’s a familiar story about the fall of the American auto industry. But this is no ordinary plant. In the mid-1980s, Toyota took over the Fremont plant, one of GM’s worst, a factory known for sex, drugs and defective vehicles. And as part of an historic joint venture, Toyota turned the plant into one of GM’s best, practically
Tagged with cars general+motors nummi toyota
A car plant in Fremont California that might have saved the U.S. car industry. In 1984, General Motors and Toyota opened NUMMI as a joint venture. Toyota showed GM the secrets of its production system: how it made cars of much higher quality and much lower cost than GM achieved. Frank Langfitt explains why GM didn’t learn the lessons – until it was too late.
Tagged with gm toyota this american life