NUMMI: Probably Gone for Good

The Toyota Corporation recently announced that the NUMMI Plant in Fremont will be closed next March.  Last week, a number of NUMMI workers and a handful of politicians held a rally outside of Senator Dianne Feinstein’s San Francisco office to protest the decision to close down the plant.

The SF Chronicle reported that Feinstein and other officeholders issued statements of support for the workers and their efforts to have Toyota revisit their decision.  Assemblyman Alberto Torrico and State Senator Ellen Corbett are sponsoring legislation that would provide for tax breaks and other incentives to try and persuade Toyota to reverse its decision and keep the plant open.  “‘It ain’t over till it’s over!’” Torrico told the crowd.  Actually, it probably is over.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the NUMMI Plant has lost money most years since Toyota and GM established the partnership in 1984.  When GM filed for bankruptcy last year, Toyota was left “holding the entire bag.” 

NUMMI is not Toyota’s only problem.  Toyota stopped work on a factory in Mississippi and is considering suspending a line at a plant in Britain.  The Wall Street Journal also reports that the company will likely halt an assembly line in Japan sometime next year.

Let’s face the facts…if Toyota has plans to shut down one of its production lines in Japan, they’re not very likely to keep a plant running in Fremont, California.

2 Comments

  1. As a Vibe owner, it saddens me to see this plant close. The quality is incredible and I plan on driving my 2004 Vibe for many years to come.

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