Are cars assembled in Japan by the same manufacturer still better than, say, the same model built in Mexico?
Posted by Fleedom2025@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 105 comments
Many people are J vin for life because they trust Japanese build quality. All else equal (let’s say, a Mazda CX5), are the same cars assembled in Japan still better than those built in Mexico in 2025?
Nyexx@reddit
We had a Japan built 2016 Mazda 3 and a 2018 Mazda 3 built in Mexico right after. I don’t think you can tell the difference between them. Both were trouble free.
Emulsion_Addict@reddit
From what I’ve heard about the Mexican Mazda factories, they’re quite literally an entire Japanese factory, tooling, machines, and all just plopped down in Mexico and most of the parts are from Japan too. It’s purely a cheaper labor and shorter shipping time decision.
I have a Mexican made 3 and my wife a Japanese made CX-5. They’re both excellent.
destonomos@reddit
Mexican made kias are sub par.
GenosT@reddit
~~Mexican made~~ kias are sub par.
Optimal-Cat-8117@reddit
Thats more a Kia thing tho...
lionbacker54@reddit
Can confirm. I have 2018 Mazda3 built in Mexico and it has been amazing
Gatesy840@reddit
We used to get Japanese built Klugas (highlanders)
Now they are built in Indiana and I have noticed a lower build quality. I think it's more to do with the suppliers than manufacturers...
I have a dash out of one as we speak, brand new. The HVAC box is cracked and leaking AC condensation into the driver's floor well...
We also had a run of weather strips failing and filling up the front doors..
These are caught, and fixed.. after that I can't tell the difference, so it's not so much assembly of the vehicle..
Dignam3@reddit
TBF the gen 3 Mazda 3 was just about the perfect car for its class and price.
JollyToby0220@reddit
No!!! You have to say Japan is better
PiggypPiggyyYaya@reddit
Personally I trust Japanese work ethic. So yes, I trust Japanese build quality more than Mexico.
Status_Ad_4405@reddit
Living in New York, all the Mexicans I see are working the asses off. So I have no idea why you would question Mexicans' work ethic other than bigotry.
Quality has much more to do with manufacturing design than what workers are doing. These days, components in any factory really can't be assembled incorrectly. The individual workers aren't eyeballing stuff.
TheThinDewLine@reddit
Its not bigotry to recognize cultural differences.
Status_Ad_4405@reddit
Ok, bigot
TactualTransAm@reddit
As a kid we were poor. Rural Arkansas. My family worked the fields next to the Mexicans. You can't convince me there's a single person who could out work those people. Literally just tanks. They work and work and just keep going like they are machines, it's impressive. I physically collapsed trying to keep up.
Commercial_Wind8212@reddit
My company has Mexican plants. The employees change jobs a lot so you dont get that long term experience
Shot-Swimming-9098@reddit
That's because your company sucks. In case you think I'm joking or being sarcastic, I'm 100% serious. Mexico is not a different world. Lots of Mexican workers stay at companies for a long time. Companies with high turnover in Mexico have high turnover because they suck.
There is a bottom to jobs in Mexico that is far lower than what we know in the US. This was back in the 90's, but I worked for a company that had a factory in Mexico where the jobs were given to a person, and then that person owned the job. It might be their brother or their aunt who showed up to work the next day. It was hilariously awful, but my company got what they paid for and eventually closed up shop. 10 years later that company bought a legitimate company in Mexico, and everything was all good.
Before you trash Mexicans, consider first if you shouldn't be trashing your own employer.
Commercial_Wind8212@reddit
I'm not trashing anyone. and yes, most companies suck
pleasesayitaintsooo@reddit
Just look at any housing inspector video on TikTok to see that famous Mexican work ethic
PiggypPiggyyYaya@reddit
Where did I criticize Mexican work ethic? Everybody has the potential to have good work ethic. However it's undeniable that work ethic in japan is hammered in to them since the moment they can attend school.
Shot-Swimming-9098@reddit
I think it was right up there. I'll quote it for you so that you don't have to search.
Diogenes256@reddit
I agree with all of this. I would second the comment about Mexican workers as well. Look around (in the U.S.) you will see Latino workers doing difficult jobs extremely well for very long hours. I also believe the robots in Mexico do just as good of a job as ones in other places. In modern manufacturing quality isn’t a happenstance occurrence due to poor assembly and carelessness as much of it was in decades past. Quality is a decision. The character of the car you receive is deliberate, and based on a cost/benefit analysis.
saibalter@reddit
As someone who knows people that work at Mitsubishi and Nissan in Japan, I can tell you that most of the workers are not actually Japanese 😬
slowwolfcat@reddit
ok...other Asians ?
rangeDSP@reddit
Japan has a big worker shortage given the aging population. There's a lot of Vietnamese/Chinese/Fillipinos workers.
Either way I don't believe the nationality of a worker impacts the quality of the work. It's process and management
ZairNotFair@reddit
That infamous work ethic comes at incredible amount of abuse. There's a reason they've stopped having kids long time ago.
method__Dan@reddit
I work for a Japanese auto parts manufacturer and yes it’s the same quality. The Japanese do not mess around with their reputation and will hold all plants across the globe to their standard. If they catch you slipping up, they will send in a team to fix it.
FTFOatl@reddit
Yes
NuclearPopTarts@reddit
Absolutely.
I'd pick a Japan-built car over one built in Germany too ....
babieswithrabies63@reddit
The issue with German cars isn't build quality. A Corolla assembled in Germany would be fine.
NuclearPopTarts@reddit
"A Corolla assembled in Germany"
What alternate timeline are you from? ... That would be a cool car!
VolkswagenPanda@reddit
There are already Corollas assembled in the UK. I would pick a Corolla Assembled in the UK or even India over a Rogue assembled in Japan.
mopar39426ml@reddit
I'd pick a Corolla assembled on a remote island who has never had contact with the outside world aside from shipping out that one car, over a Rogue.
I'd like to submit the disclaimer that there's a rental Altima outside my home right now that I honestly can't find a reason to hate aside from knowing that its transmission will likely be dead within a heartbeat of when the warranty expires.
IGuessSomeLikeItHot@reddit
Drive a 15 year old Toyota vs a 15 year old BMW then we'll talk.
PennsylvaniaCook@reddit
And honestly, it isn’t even close
That-Whereas3367@reddit
A lot of ridiculous claims about cars being the same from all factories. They aren't. They use different supply chains. Different parts and even different designs. eg US Camrys have different (inferior) suspensions and steering to Japanese models.
AKADriver@reddit
I think back to major quality stumbles like the frame corrosion in North American built Toyota Tacomas which was a direct result of a supplier failure.
For Japan specifically, I wonder if the keiretsu arrangement makes that sort of failure less common. When the same bank signs your paycheck and the suppliers'.
TomatoesB4Potatoes@reddit
Yes, Mexican made cars will use local suppliers for major assemblies such as seats and instrument panels and Japanese will use their local supply base. Much of automotive assembly is installing ready made kits provided by subcontractors into the vehicle.
Major_Turnover5987@reddit
Yes. Moreover if the engine and transmission was assembled it's a triple win. There are Infiniti G35's & G37's cracking 500k miles with zero issues, and I mean zero.
red18wrx@reddit
If something on the assembly line goes wrong, the Japanese stop the line and fix the problem. Everyone else just waits for the defect to hit the parking lot and then makes a repair. Now image the quality difference from repairing something just put on a half built car vs taking a car apart in a parking lot to make a repair. Yeah, the Japanese have much better control of their factories, and make a much better quality product most of the time.
toaster661@reddit
Honestly, not much more than cult liking. At this point, plants have standardized processes across, so it wouldn’t be much ‘better’
derpmcturd@reddit
No, get that Jvin
bluerog@reddit
Oh oh... I can answer this: No.
When I was in engineering school, Mazda had a problem. Transmissions made in the US plants were failing at a 70% higher rate than the ones made in Japanese plants. There were no glaring reasons why - both plants were set up the same and used similar component suppliers. One of our co-op/student projects was to look into reasons (and paid for it).
About 8 of us, armed with micrometers and trained to use them, measured every component in the US-made transmissions. Specs were something like "2.85 mm, +/- 0.04mm". Some came in closer to 2.83mm, others were 2.89mm. Every single part in the US made transmissions were in spec.
Then we measured the Japanese transmission components. We thought our micrometers were broken. The parts weren't "2.85 mm, +/- 0.04mm", they were 2.85 mm.... exactly. Almost no part even used the tolerances. Come to find out, these little variations in tolerance off the spec were causing the failures because they all added together.
On a side-note though: The US-made transmissions costs were lower and productivity was higher in the US plants. The US lines were putting out 2 transmissions per hour (for example) for every 1 the Japanese plants put out - with similar set-ups.
mzspd@reddit
I really do not believe that it matters. It all depends on the manufacturer and their QC process. It should be the same regardless of the plant.
From my own experience of spending time in Pueblo, Mexico (hub for VW assembly) I can tell you that people there are extremely proud of the VW plants. I met a handful of employees and even a few engineers from VW and they all drove the cars that they built (MK7 golf's) and they were very prideful of what they did.
Solid_Enthusiasm550@reddit
No, the assembly procedure is standardized. Every manufacturering facility is using the same parts and assembly tools and rigs.
The old saying is, don't by a car assembled on friday.
bomber991@reddit
Nope. I work in manufacturing. Everyone tries to copy the Toyota production system. Even Toyota plants in the US. The workers don’t have the same culture as the Japanese, so all these lean concepts still work but they don’t work as well as they do in Japan.
Big-Touch-9293@reddit
I was in automotive manufacturing engineering, we had a NA and a Japan line. Scraps from the Japan line went to NA line and were made to pass with whatever measures needed. Japan has much better quality control / inspections almost to a fault. Japan had golden operators who take their jobs very seriously and personally feel let down if they miss something.
Was the reworked part okay? Probably technically, but the Japanese part was definitely better.
No-Repeat1769@reddit
Japanese Toyota plants (subsidiaries specifically Daihatsu) were recently caught cheating on safety tests. How the mighty have fallen
statmelt@reddit
It wasn't the assembly workers at the plants that were doing the cheating.
52buckets@reddit
Japanese assembly tends to be high quality and efficient. It does not tend to be safe. Source: have worked in several Japanese factories.
Shot-Swimming-9098@reddit
If you knew even the first fucking thing, you would know that TPS is the implementation of American processes in Japan from Ford, as in Henry Ford, the American Nazi sympathizer. Just stop. You probably think the 5 S's make sense.
bomber991@reddit
Oh man so you’re saying German cars are the best?
Shot-Swimming-9098@reddit
Which one's your favorite? Shine? Maybe shine? I bet shine is the most important one for you.
bomber991@reddit
Shitsuke is my favorite because it’s spelled like “shit sucky”.
Individual_Agency703@reddit
By “same culture”, you mean union card.
Lordert@reddit
Tesla owners don't agree.
Tesla made in China better than USA
Tony-cums@reddit
Not when it’s Japan vs American or Japan vs Mexico. Different work culture. 1000% better to get a jdm built car.
that_motorcycle_guy@reddit
Yes and no. Some models are known to be better build in certain countries. They don't all use the same suppliers for the same models. The german built golf is often known as the better golf for example.
newpsyaccount32@reddit
i don't know why people say this, i've owned 3 golfs (2005.5 Mexico, 2012 Germany, 2017 Mexico) and I had the most trouble with the German one.
I personally don't think there's a difference
Big-Touch-9293@reddit
So, I worked in automotive manufacturing engineering. We had 2 lines, a Japan line and a North America line. Parts that failed the Japan line went to the NA line and were made to pass. Japan had golden operators who take the job extremely seriously and catch very minor faults.
I trust J cars more.
Jaded-Assistant9601@reddit
My 2015 Mazda 3 Mexico has been amazing.
SharpestOne@reddit
Yes.
Those outside the industry don’t understand this, but manufacturing processes do vary even with the same model for different countries.
There are innumerable considerations with something as labor intensive as auto manufacturing. Examples:
American workers have larger hands on average. Therefore tool paths and holes for workers to stick their hands into have to be larger on American assembled models. Or the car itself is redesigned to avoid having to put hands into tight spaces in general.
American workers are more quick to feel frustrated by tedious repetitive work. Therefore processes are modified to make things go faster and less precise. Factory shifts in America also have more variety throughout the day (e.g., guy attaching the bumper isn’t doing this for 8 hours a day. He’s doing something for 2-3 hours and then his task changes.)
American workers are significantly more expensive. Therefore processes are made faster to make up for it. Compromises have to be made sometimes.
I could go on and on. But on the ground there are definitely differences that add up.
slowwolfcat@reddit
so dark factories basically eliminate these points ?
SharpestOne@reddit
Yes, but dark factories only work if you don’t ever plan on making a new generation of vehicle for over a decade, because the investment into robots to assemble the interior will need time to recoup the investment.
It’s why most manufacturers use robots for things that are largely the same (body panels, chassis, etc) and humans for things that change every 2-5 years (interior, windshield, etc).
munchies777@reddit
There’s differences, but those differences don’t always correlate to a particular outcome. I’ve worked for multi-national manufacturing companies both in and out of the auto industry. All have had good plants and bad plants, but not always in the same place. I’ve seen great plants in Mexico and China and one terrible one in Detroit. Where I work now we have several very highly performing plants in Mexico and one iffy one. It comes down to many factors, but I wouldn’t say location is really much of a driver in my experience.
Grandemestizo@reddit
My Mom has a Subaru Forester, made in Japan. I had an Outback made in the US. Build quality is the same.
NeedleGunMonkey@reddit
It depends on the manufacturer. Japanese workers aren’t magical. Process engineering and QA isn’t a national characteristic.
The folks pretending Japanese > Mexican workers are kidding themselves. Falsified QA records doomed Tanaka. Falsified QA records have affected Nissan. Process failures have showed up in new Toyota or Honda model years in Japan.
A North American built Toyota or Honda is basically the same as Japan. The subcontractors aren’t being squeezed to cut corners. Nissan subcontractors however? Good luck.
teamgreenzx9r@reddit
I agree with this take after a couple decades visiting automotive production. “Quality Culture” and just plain old caring about your work mean more than anything. If you hear anyone mention process before consequences to a customer then I wouldn’t want that product.
lmaooo4566@reddit
Is not that Japan > Mexico. Sometimes, Mexican made cars can be better built.
There's a famous example in Thailand during the 2011 floods. Honda had to import Jazzes and Accords from Japan instead of locally made ones since the plant was flooded.
People immediately noticed that the Japanese assembled Hondas had noticeably worse build quality compared to Thai assembled ones.
Journalists guessed it was because the parent organization may have put higher pressure on the production line for QC when it's overseas.
Whereas they feel more relaxed when it's in their own backyard (Japan).
slowwolfcat@reddit
last 2 paragraphs I think you got them reversed
Mustangfast85@reddit
Ironically the Takata plant was in Mexico. But the issue was one of design and chemistry
NeedleGunMonkey@reddit
None of the people who falsified test results and covered up known defects were Mexican workers on the production line.
G10aFanBoy@reddit
We have had tonnes of JDMs imported into our country (Pakistan) for the last couple of decades. Most of them are Kei cars, but we also have sedans and SUVs.
In all honesty, their build quality isn't a lot better than the locally assembled Japanese vehicles we have here.
I can tell you second hand that American assembled Japanese vehicles are the worst. This has been verified by friends and family who have moved to the USA and are currently living there.
mundotaku@reddit
Mexican assembled cars are as good as the manufacturer allows then to be.
Mexico has been assembling cars for over 8 decades and, if the manufacturer focus on quality, they can get it done.
You know which country is similar to Mexico, yet their cars are shit, no matter what? Brazil.
slowwolfcat@reddit
Why ?
Maddad_666@reddit
Engineer here: the answer is that they are the same. Is the Quality System that matters and it’s the same QMS in both places. If the workers are following instructions, the quality will be the same.
slowwolfcat@reddit
that's why I chose j-vin because I ask myself "which people have better sense of "discipline" ?"
slowwolfcat@reddit
mexico or WHATEVER, i go for J-VIN when there's an option, full stop.
TheWhogg@reddit
Yes.
5hallowbutdeep@reddit
absolutely, not even a comparison. Japanese mentality when it comes to making it right is light years away from Mexico's this is fine for what we get paid for mentality
bryan4368@reddit
You could make a Chrysler in Japan and it would still be garbage
Lower_Kick268@reddit
Depends if the parts are supplied by the same people
ifeelsopretty@reddit
It’s not about work ethic. It’s about following rules. If you’ve got a production system like Toyota’s, which has a strong set of rules, and a culture where following the rules is valued, you get high-quality output. The Japanese are rule followers because of their culture. Their population density requires it.
52buckets@reddit
I worked as a VW dealer tech in the 00's, mostly A4's & A5's (jetta, beetle, golf, GTI, rabbit). There was a dramatic assembly quality difference on the A4s between Germany and Mexico, but you could see the Mexican made cars getting better as time went on. The thing to be wary of is a factory in a new place with a new culture.
adnoguez@reddit
Nah, I live in México and have a Nissan Rogue built in Japan (X-Trail here), of course has a CVT. Would a Mexican built car be better? No, because the issue is the CVT itself. It's a design thing.
Con-vit@reddit
Japan FTW
Old-Television-1237@reddit
Sybau
xtremesaturn@reddit
Japan is japan. They bow to every panel and knob they just installed.
Gunk_Olgidar@reddit
Generally yes. There is more pride in the Japanese mindset, as the product is often perceived as a reflection of the producer, and many that that personally. There is also loyalty from company to employee and vice versa.
Mexico factories near the US border producing vehicles or vehicle parts for US destinations are often maquiladoras, contract-factories whose management is very often not loyal to their workers, nor the workers to the products which are only typically assembled in part by the workers from parts arriving from the US and then shipped back to the US. Perception is that they're being used for their discount labor, and that perception is correct. And all of that results in a reduced sense of ownership and pride in the work: "Basura in basura out"
While there are always exceptions to every rule, Mazda apparently has used a maquiladora for North American vehicle production in Salamanca, Guanajato Mexico since 2014: Mazda de México Vehicle Operation (MMVO)
Southland6@reddit
Aren't a large number of carmaker factories in Mexico in and around both Monterrey and Puebla. M is the industrial capital of Mexico. Puebla is nearer to MX City. Some perceptions of Mexico seem dated to ealy NAFTA, early 90s. Nissan & VW are what the taxi drivers use. Basically, if in Mexico buy a car made here & an owner is assured of replacement parts. A friend here near Guadalajara chose to buy a BMW not made here, now in month 3 waiting w a disabled 120i hatchback. Same w BMW motorcycles - no parts here in a country of what, 125m population. I know this is a different tack on the topic, but if every car breaks, one might want to buy a model made in your country.
atsevoN@reddit
I mean my almost 30 year old Celica built in Japan is still going strong and it’s done almost 1400 miles this month, but they were only built in Japan so I can’t compare it to anything. But saying that even Toyota build quality has gone downhill dramatically in the last 15 years, I wouldn’t buy a newer Toyota now
IllustriousSteam@reddit
I saw this video a while ago from the Car Care Nut; a Toyota master technician, and David from Automotive Press, who is an auto engineer with over 3 decades of experience working for Toyota, GM, and Suzuki. Their conclusion was that Japanese made Toyotas might have a slight difference, but it’s negligible and not worth paying a premium for. Toyota carries the same high standard of quality control across their factories around the world. They did however, recommend waiting until after the first model year of a new generation so that any potential manufacturing issues are identified and fixed.
largos7289@reddit
With everything being = doesn't matter anymore. Half of things made anymore are not all made anywhere. Let me explain, you may have a Chevy but the motor is from Mexico, the body may have been made in USA, but then it was assembled in Canada. So the whole i only buy American or German or what not really doesn't matter anymore.
375InStroke@reddit
One thing I've found to be true is that quality is 100% a management decision. A Japanese manufacturer may choose to cut corners with quality on their Mexican factories, but that has nothing to do with the quality of the laborers there, or in Japan. After WWII, Japan was in ruins, but were getting back on their feet. I believe it was Dr. Singleton who went to American manufacturers with his quality control theories, and in their arrogance after winning the war told him to pound sand. Japan took him up on his offer, and helped them destroy American auto manufacturers, among other industries. Quality is 100% a management decision. Apple is somehow able to make quality products in China, for instance. Now does Japan invest in the same level of quality in Mexico? That I cannot answer.
Southland6@reddit
Deming Quality
SpeedyHAM79@reddit
Not sure about Japan vs. Mexico- but BMW did a quality survey on a group of their vehicles a few years back between the German made version and the USA made version and the USA made ones had less manufacturing flaws.
WinterV6@reddit
To an extent, but it's never really guaranteed and you can't use that as your only factor.
Shoddy-Box9934@reddit
Fun fact the highest quality and least mistakes come out of toyotas mexico plants as of recent!
mukwah@reddit
Probably, but I've always heard the Toyota plant in Cambridge, Ontario is top tier as well.
VivienM7@reddit
Be careful about relying on the first digit of the VIN to identify country of final assembly.
The luxury German automakers have found a bit of a ... loophole... in the VIN rule (technically, the first digit identifies the country of the company that did the manufacturing - for most automakers, that's a local subsidiary so that's why it has a first digit matching the location of final assembly, e.g. a Volkswagen made in Mexico is made by Volkswagen de Mexico SA de CV, a Mexican company), so you will see W VINs on Audis built in Mexico or Hungary and BMWs built in South Africa.
Mamadolores21@reddit
They're about the same, I have a J serial and also a Mexican built one. Not much difference
elementarydeardata@reddit
I've been thinking about this because my wife and I are considering a PHEV Mitsubishi Outlander as her new car. It's based on the Nissan Rogue but is assembled in Japan instead of in Tennessee. (There are some other differences, the outlander uses the old rogue engine instead of the new recalled one)
swisstraeng@reddit
It entirely depends on how the quality assurance is handled on different sites.
The people working on cars production lines don't matter, it's the ones who let the mistakes through.
And in that regard, you can have a good QA all over the world as long as you want one in the first place.
BusyBeinBorn@reddit
I’d say yes, but probably not for the reason you’d expect. My company, Toyota, builds its mass-market vehicles nearby or in the markets they’re sold in white the lower volume vehicles get imported from Japan. The mass market vehicles get lots of automation throughout assembly and of course move through the assembly process a lot faster. Vehicles coming from Japan get a lot more human hands and eyeballs on them because it is not worth automating processes for low-volume vehicles or rare options. I laude the Japanese work-ethic, but I don’t think it necessarily gets credit in this way.
tikapollak@reddit
YES.
For example suzuki. They export the Swifts and Jimnys, while they make Vitaras and Scrosses in hungary. The quality difference is real, altho it could be missed if youre not looking for it.
Monst3r_Live@reddit
Significantly so. Quality control is relevant.