Car Advice

Toyota confirms closure of NUMMI plant

By Matt Brogan |

As we reported yesterday, Toyota had hinted that it would cease operations at its California, US, plant – a move now confirmed by the Japanese manufacturer.

The New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant (or NUMMI) – a joint venture plant between Toyota and GM – will cease production by March 2010.

The plant currently produces the Toyota Corolla and Tacoma utility (pictured above).

Corolla production will shift to Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario, Canada plant, but it remains unclear where Tacoma production will be moved.

The NUMMI plant, which currently employees 4700 workers, opened in 1984 as a 50:50 joint venture between Toyota and General Motors.

nummi

The plant’s future had been unclear since GM announced it was closing its Pontiac division, the Pontiac Vibe was produced at NUMMI, and was withdrawing from the venture.

Today’s announcement will mark Toyota’s first US plant closure with at least one UK plant expected to halt production and one Japanese plant to suspend production next year also as Toyota manages it first loss and declining demand.


 
  • http://austcaradv Name a Song From Tasmin Archer ?

    Obviously Akio Toyoda and gang are wasting no time of righting a great company to stable footing once again. Capacity does need to be slashed with the workload repositioned to the more efficent operations throughout the world.

  • Yanzo

    is that what america comes up with when toyota tells them to make a hilux? i’m so glad i live in australia

  • Lenten

    Yanzo, that Tacoma would be much better suited to Australia than the Hilux in at least one way, look at the long bed on the back, this is a tray you cannot get on the back of any dual cab sold in Oz. A longer wheelbase and tray for the dual cab hilux would be many tradesmans dream

  • Carl

    Oh what a feeling!!!!!! Lol

  • Life Guard

    Carl……..indeed!! lol

  • Sleeping Satellite

    Yeah; The first couple of generations of Tacoma Pick Ups were almost identical to the Hilux.. However; the more recent models have taken on a more distinctive more serious more intimidating look which I kinda like

    Then There’s the 500HP V8 TRD Tundra Pick-Up… Toyota’s answer to the Ford F-Series and the Dodge Ram etc.

  • Lukaas

    The thing with the Tacoma and USA FULL-sized trucks… well they are literally massive. Australia simply has no market for a FULL-sized truck, no matter how some tradesmen want it.

    Tacoma actually is just slightly bigger than the Hilux, width wise anyways. Go to Toyota USA’s site and you’d see the available models for it.

    The V8 TRD Tundra by the way… a full size truck… does 0-100 in under 6 seconds…. amazing for such a massive truck.

    anyways back on topic, when GM went broke, you kinda knew NUMMI was first thing to go, as Toyota will not run that plant alone, although they did kinda “saved” it when it was on the gutter…

  • http://Caradvice.com.au Baddass

    Just thank god we GM never imported those Chevrolet Kodiacs, medium sized trucks. By the way, they were a lot bigger than an F250, to put it into perspective.
    And that Tacoma is pig-ugly.

  • realcars

    There goes the only desirable vehicle they ever made(Tacoma).LOL.

  • AAA

    Could it be that the union is too powerful?