The line graph compares the average amount of time required by four US car manufacturers, namely General Motors, Ford, Toyota and Honda, to produce a vehicle between 1998 and 2005.
Overall, the amount of time spent manufacturing a car decreased for all four companies over the period. General Motors experienced the most consistent decline, while Ford was the only manufacturer whose figure rose considerably before falling towards the end. By 2005, all four companies required around 20-22 hours to produce a vehicle.
Looking first at General Motors and Ford, the former started at approximately 30 hours per vehicle in 1998 and then experienced a steady decline, reaching about 25 hours in 2001 and around 22 hours in 2005. In contrast, Ford initially took about 28 hours, before its figure rose gradually to a peak of roughly 31 hours in 2001. After that, the production time fell steadily, reaching approximately 26 hours in 2004 and just 20 hours in 2005.
As for Toyota and Honda, both manufacturers required considerably less time than General Motors and Ford at the beginning of the period. Toyota’s figure fluctuated slightly, rising from around 22 hours in 1998 to 24 hours in 2002, before declining to approximately 20 hours at the end. Honda followed a similar but more fluctuating pattern. Its production time fell from about 22 hours to 21 hours in 1999, then increased to around 24 hours in 2002, before dropping steadily to approximately 20 hours in 2005.