As an example of their effort to standardize more of its parts, Toyota is reducing the variety of air bags it installs in different vehicles.
Toyota was using 50 different types of airbags to protect driver's knees in all their available models, and has found from a cost savings audit that they can cut that number down to ten.
Toyota has also reduced the different types of parts for vehicles in other areas, such as reducing the number of different carburetors from 100 to 21. several news sources reported the automaker is also reducing the number of cylinder sizes in its engines to six from more than 18 by 2016.
Businessweek reports that using common components in its manufacturing could save the company up to 30 percent. Toyota manufactures trucks in San Antonio and declined to comment on this story.
