Toyota considering Prius production at former GM joint-venture plant
07/02/2009, 6:18 PM
By Drew Johnson
With General Motors now officially terminating its joint-venture at the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. factory, Toyota is weighing several options for the California plant. While many options are currently on the table, Toyota could be favoring altering the NUMMI plant to produce the company’s popular Prius hybrid.
Although a decision has yet to be made, shifting Prius production to the NUMMI plant could be one of the plant’s top prospects. ”We’ve upgraded the facilities during the past five to six years,” a senior official told Kyodo News. ”It would be physically possible to manufacture the Prius.”
The NUMMI plant currently produces the Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Corolla and Matrix but will be losing the Vibe come August. GM announced last month that it will be leaving the 25-year joint-venture in bankruptcy court with the ‘old’ GM.
Although Prius production at the NUMMI plant would give the factory enough volume to stay in business, that decision would leave Toyota with a vacant U.S. production facility. Toyota is current scheduled to begin Prius production at its Tupelo, Mississippi plant, which was actually originally built to produce the Toyota Highlander SUV. That plant is now fully built but is void of any machinery.
Toyota hasn’t completely ruled out shuttering the NUMMI plant altogether, but doesn’t have that scenario high up on its list. ”A shutdown is also an option, but it would be very challenging for Toyota, which has little experience in closing down big plants,” a Toyota official said.
07/02, 6:19 PM
posted by:
Rafa LL
Lets make bread at the salami factory…
07/02, 6:39 PM
posted by:
Payton Byrd
They can use the MS plant to build cars for MB.
07/02, 6:42 PM
posted by:
mayer_ray_nagin
Joint venture is right because you gotta be stoned out of your mind to drive a Prius, Matrix, or Vibe.
07/02, 6:57 PM
posted by:
Mutant@DCX
ahhh… that plant is safe, chilax, losing only the vibe is a nothing burger,
07/02, 7:05 PM
posted by:
Kaizen
Maybe they can move Scion production there.
07/02, 7:11 PM
posted by:
Borat
It’s a lot of stoned folks outta there.
Kaizen, your comment would make perfect sense, since xD is basically Corolla. But I think Toyota is trying to hedge currency fluctuation: yen is expensive. If you build Prius in US, you can have car that costs less. And I think it is cheaper to ship crates with body parts then cars from Japan.
07/02, 7:47 PM
posted by:
DrFill
A can of whuppass is still a can of whuppass
Here, there, everywhere!
DrFill
07/02, 9:59 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Of course it’s physically possible. Blindfolds are cheap.
07/02, 11:29 PM
posted by:
Bimmer
I highly doubt that Toyota will keep factory open. And I’ll give you one reason. Cars are built there by UNIONS.
07/02, 11:54 PM
posted by:
cocojoe53
The quality of the cars produced at this location rank among the highest of all toyota facilities. The Vibe would have been a sucess if GM allowed the marketing folks use Toyotas name in their advertizing
07/03, 2:19 AM
posted by:
howsmydriving
I think that this would be a good business move for Toyota.
07/03, 2:59 AM
posted by:
F50
Good move, and the other plant should be for the future Supra.
07/03, 6:02 PM
posted by:
KIB2
They can sale the planet to Ford so they can product the 2011 Fiesta!!!
http://fiestamovement.com/agents/view/58
07/05, 7:37 AM
posted by:
twobolt
Unions?
ALL of the Toyota plants in Japan are Unionized. The Toyota Union of Japan has 58,000 members.
They make the most defect free vehicles on the planet.
NUMMI struggled to get quality right and finally got sued by one of their own auditors for hiding defects and failing to report them.
07/05, 7:48 AM
posted by:
twobolt
Unions?
ALL of the Toyota plants in Japan are Unionized. The Toyota Union of Japan has 58,000 members.
They make the most defect free vehicles on the planet.
NUMMI struggled to get quality right and finally got sued by one of their own auditors for hiding defects and failing to report them.
Building a Prius there would be shooting themselves in the foot.