UAW Boss Claims F150 Built Twice as Fast as Tundra

UAW boss Ron Gettelfinger wrote an editorial last week that claimed that the UAW could build an F150 almost twice as fast as non-union Toyota workers could build a Tundra. The only problem with this claim - it's completely ridiculous.

Of course it bears noting that if this really WERE true, then the F150 would be half as complicated as the Tundra...and that's not really a good thing, is it?

Gettelfinger cited the 2008 Harbour report study that stated the F150 needs 19.1 hours of assembly while the Tundra needs 31. Of course, that's only PART of the data.

- The Tundra was in the middle of a huge new-model change during the course of the study (the 2008 study is based on results from 2007). Of course the Tundra's assembly times will be higher than average.

- The Harbour report doesn't include pre-assembly times in their official estimate (many F150 parts come pre-assembled in the USA).

- The Harbour report found that Toyota was still the industry leader in plant efficiency.

- Most damningly, F150's built in Ford's Mexico plant take 10 hours longer to build...how could the exact same truck need 10 more hours of build time in Mexico?

Clearly, UAW boss Gettelfinger is all wet.

How can the UAW ask the USA to trust them when the President of the UAW lies like this?
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Agent004 - 1/5/2009 2:07:43 PM

+1 Boost

Twice as fast and twice as sloppy seems about right.

800over - 1/5/2009 3:01:49 PM

+5 Boost

Sounds like my sex life.

veyron1001 - 1/5/2009 3:40:08 PM

+2 Boost

Also twice as many on leased out lots with 1000s parked side by side.

rigid - 1/5/2009 2:35:35 PM

+5 Boost

Sounds about right to me. Everybody knows the Tundra was way overengineered and ended up being the first dud I can remember from Toyota. Toyota might try to blame the economy for this failure, but the truth is they tried to do the one thing the Big 3 do right and they learned big trucks are not as easy to build as they thought.

91z4me - 1/5/2009 2:56:30 PM

+3 Boost

I don't know if it was Toyota's 1st dud. The T100 didn't light the world on fire but it did gain a new market for Toyota. How about the Echo (I personally dislike the car but I don't know how well it sold)?

rigid - 1/5/2009 3:21:33 PM

+1 Boost

The Echo did not sell well, but that is more due to size and American car buying paterns. I guess to me Toyota stands as a reliability leader and the Tundra had a bunch of problems so for Toyota that was a big dud.

I would question the T100 because they did gain a new market, but they did not gain any credibility in that market. It also was a cop out as they made it a mid size truck so it really didn't compete with anything other than maybe the odd sized Dodge truck.

I know a person who had the engine failure, they replaced his truck, but it went right to a GM dealer due to lack of trust.

tundrahq - 1/7/2009 11:56:02 AM

+1 Boost

My God that is a funny comment...but I have to say throwing Gettelfinger in with all the honest hard-working UAW members is unfair. Still, hilarious.

lexworld - 1/5/2009 4:10:39 PM

+2 Boost

At this point in the game who in their right mind is going to listen to those lying fabricating UAW bosses. It's like still trying to fight your meanest enemy when your legs have been cut off. The bottom line here is the Tundra will only increase in qaulity,refinment,power and effeciency. It's maker has the financial resources and engineering buget to keep it on top. I'd have to seriously question UAWs boasting about how fast the F-150s are assembled compared to a Toyota Tundra. The average consumer knows,and that's the majority of them,the big 3 are no serious match for toyota trucks in terms of total qaulity of product.

elduderion - 1/5/2009 4:48:26 PM

+1 Boost

I have to disagree with the comment about Toyota making better trucks than the big 3. Take the new f150 as example (just awarded truck of the year by one popular magazine). Its engineering depth is way beyond anything Toyota offers on trucks. For example, do a youtube search on toyota frame twist vs. the ford f-series. Fully boxed frame mean anything to you?

Fact is, Ford have longer history building trucks than Toyota. Ford have re-engineered these trucks over decades. Toyota cannot be expected to simply step in the ring and build a better truck than ford off the bat. Toyota don't even offer a diesel for their trucks so that tells you how serious they are about towing.

Its like saying the Lexus ISF is 'better' than the new M3. No. Its. Not. Its a good attempt. And as for Ford and re-calls etc, well the toyota trucks have had their fair share of them too, being the most problematic car they've sold in the US. They make great trucks, but they've still to disect the new f-series and improve on it before they can claim to make the best truck.

People who really use and abuse their trucks know and understand this. Until last year, the F-series was the best selling 'car' in America for 17 years and it got dethroned due to gas prices, not because the Japanese built a better truck.

pchera01 - 1/5/2009 4:54:49 PM

+1 Boost

FIRE UNION SAVE FORD

BigShow50 - 1/5/2009 5:10:31 PM

+1 Boost

When domestics have been building nothing but "Trucks" all their lives and have been banking on this level of business(which of coarse led them to be in the postion they are today...what's new?) then yes of coarse they would be better in building a "Truck"...And besides what kind of crack ass comment coming out of a UAW President about "Trucks"?!?!?...I would have expected better comment like "When can build trucks 5 times faster than China making a pair of Nike kicks...Looser...LMAO!!!!

Porschinator - 1/5/2009 8:15:33 PM

+1 Boost

UAW only exist NOW because it was relevent THEN! US employment laws protect workers and there is less need for Unions. Unions were needed long ago when there were few laws protecting the average worker.

This is no longer the case and the UAW became greedy and an expensive asset for US Automakers. Glad to see the Big 3 making changes. This was never the case for Japanese Automakers and typically jobs are safe on their home land with non-union workers State side.

BigShow50 - 1/5/2009 11:43:09 PM

+1 Boost

LMAO!!! Here goes ChuckyG37 with his 10 year old comments and the brain size of pigeon shit attitude!!!...A kid with sooo much Toyota hate...you just gotta love it and laugh!!!....Keep it coming and for the rest of you Toyota/Lexus haters, I am proud to be a current owner of a MB, BMW, and Lexus. But your hating comments don't change Toyota/Lexus success...so keeper going!!! Cause proof is always in the pudding! Yummmm!!!!...LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

woood - 1/6/2009 4:04:39 AM

+1 Boost

If this guy gimmethefinger remains as UAW boss, It should be dissolved. Seriously.

tundrahq - 1/7/2009 11:53:13 AM

+1 Boost

Funny - I think you're right. Gettelfinger is part of the problem. But of course that goes for a lot of the leaders in Detroit, D.C., and the LA Clippers.