Toyota suspends completion of Mississippi Prius plant

[Bozita]

Source: Detroit Free Press

Toyota suspends completion of Mississippi Prius plant
BY BRENT SNAVLEY • FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER • DECEMBER 15, 2008


Toyota said it plans to delay production at its Blue Springs, Miss., plant where it is planning to build the Toyota Prius “due to the steep decline in the market.”

Toyota said it plans to finish construction of the plant since it is about 90% complete but said it plans to put the installation of equipment on hold.

“This likely means that start of production will be delayed,” Toyota said in a statement. “Due to the uncertainty of the market, it is impossible to say at this time when production will begin.”

Initially, Toyota planned to build its Highlander SUV at the Mississippi plant. But in July, as gas and oil prices hit historical highs, Toyota announced major changes to its North American production plans.

Read more: http://www.freep.com/article/20081215/BUSINESS01/81215046

[LisaM]

1. Oh, gee, I guess Toyota is a badly-run company with lazy workers

who won't build a product consumers want.

Maybe now the Southern Senators will wake up to the fact that the Big Three's problems have to do with the market?

[DonEBrook]

2. They cancelled SUV production and put a huge investment on hold

in response to market conditions...and that's "badly run"??
:eyes:

[notadmblnd]

4. You know, there's a new study out that connects people unable to detect scarcasm with dementia.

You might want to get yourself checked:shrug:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. The sarcasm implied that American car companies were not badly run.

Which is silly.

[notadmblnd]

15. I gave no opinion on whether or not Lisa post was correct in its assumption

The point she was making is that foreign cars aren't selling here either. But you don't see anyone blaming their troubles on the workers.

[proud progressive]

8. no sarcasm from post 1

lisa thinks we should bailout gm because they are union, but not toyota because they are non-union.

[Romulox]

11. That's because Lisa is conversant with the historical ideals of the Party.

And you, apparently, are not. :hi:

[LostinVA]

59. LisaM was being sarcastic

[gizmo1979]

42. Give him a break he's a cop.

That explains his inability to detect sarcasm,and I do believe he is demented.

[DonEBrook]

45. I told you 5 times, I WAS a cop 40 years ago you dumb prick.

jeezus.....

[gizmo1979]

51. sorry assifer

I didn't realize you were so touchy.I'll be sure to be more careful next time.People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

[olegramps]

55. Still got you gun and night stick? Yu-bet-ca!

He's a former cop. Nuff said.

[DonEBrook]

43. There's a thing called Dictionary that will tell you what sarcasm IS.

Since you obviously have no clue.
:eyes:

[notadmblnd]

49. Oh. I have a clue alright.

However, instead of saying anything more.. I'll just sit back and watch.:popcorn:

[gizmo1979]

50. No you have no clue flatfoot.

[DonEBrook]

52. Well, I suppose I must defer to the guy who wrote "liberal veiws" in his profile.

:eyes:

[Juneboarder]

69. Whoa!!

No need to be so sarcastic yourself towards someone that is just asking a question. We won't progress as a respectable country with attitudes like this!!

[notadmblnd]

70. That was not sarcasm

That study is real (go ahead, do the Google on it). I was merely expressing my concern for his mental health.

[Juneboarder]

72. Dare we question your mental health?

I mean seriously... that is not a progressive conversation, and no questions are dumb. Usually if one person asks, then there are more that are out there wondering the same... Not everyone can be as intelligent and savvy as yourself :)

[notadmblnd]

76. You may, but it's beside the point.

The poster you are attempting to defend, is not asking an honest question. Go ahead and search his posts and read some of them. His question was beyond dumb, not only because he didn't detect the sarcasm in the OP, but because he was trying to make the OP sound like a fool and it didn't work.

[amdezurik]

6. I believe Lisa was being sarcastic...

[LisaM]

12. I was being sarcastic

I thought it was kinda obvious.

[DonEBrook]

44. No, what you were doing was not sarcasm. Look up the definition.

>>>>>>>>>:eyes:<<<<<<<<<<<

[olegramps]

56. Boy are you really that thick headed?

Former cop. Nuff said.

[Bluebear]

75. DUH to you. That is all.

[mbperrin]

53. I've got a BA in English and an MAED in Adult Education. It WAS

obvious and to the point!!

Which I will now belabor here for our tone deaf friends.

US autobashers say US auto troubles are caused by fatcat lazy union workers, and if only they would adopt Japanese pay scales, all would be well.

According to the story, Japanese automakers are also in trouble.

[BreweryYardRat]

61. US autobashers need to shut the fuck up.

Those idiots want to blather on about the need for Japanese pay scales -- they need to pay attention to the fact that Japanese CEOs aren't nearly as overpaid as their American counterparts, AND that Japan has universal health care. (Japan! Which, as a society, may have EVEN MORE race/class/gender issues than we do!)

[LostinVA]

60. It was

[Trajan]

9. Fuck Toyota ....

Nuff Said ....

[DonEBrook]

46. I just bought another one last week. Love my Toyotas

:D

[Trajan]

54. Well ...

You are apparently doing very well in this down economy ...

Im pretty sure your position is less than representative of DU in general ...

BTW: I own a Toyota as well .... an 18 year old Camry for which I paid cash ...

I hoping to find a union job so I can make enough to buy a new car, like you ...

[Romulox]

10. Yup. They're supposed to produce Priuses regardless if there are any buyers.

Because if they instead produce SUVs, it "forces" unwitting American consumers to buy them.

Or so the theory goes... :eyes:

[Kalyke]

67. Um... they were to build the Prius there.

:eyes: yourself.

[proud progressive]

34. hey, lisa. being that i'm not 'conversant with the ideals of the party'....

or, because i'm just plain dumb, i still do not see what your sarcasm is exactly about.
and, by the way, at 5'4" you are not short....unless you weigh 200#

[Bigmack]

3. I love my Prius....

but I've got a problem replacing it with a car made in a red state by non-union labor. ... especially after the tantrum the Southern senators threw about the auto bailout.

We'll see what happens when I do the replacement in 2010.

[DesertFlower]

7. question.

how can you see out of the back window of the Prius? i would have bought one, but i'm one of those people who wants good vision.

[LisaM]

20. There is a little window, I think, under the main back window

I am pretty short (5'4") and visibility is a problem for me too (I bought a car in the 80s that was a joing Chevrolet/Totyoa project and I had to sit on a seat cushion to see out the back). So I had the same question about the Prius but someone I know who has one said the visibility is OK.

I do happen to think it's a butt ugly car, though.

[DesertFlower]

21. i'm 5'3".

i bought a 2005 mazda miata new. it has really good vision. i bet the toyota scion has great vision.

the prius is ugly.

[LisaM]

26. So you have the same problem i have.

I have driven a friend's Miata and the visibility is good (though she ended up in a ditch during a snowstorm a few years ago and had to wait for three days to get it fixed because the alignment was off - does it have rear wheel drive? I think that's what did her in).

I would buy an Escape hybrid if I had the $$.

[DesertFlower]

28. i think it's rear wheel.

i'm in phoenix so i don't have to worry about snow. i really love the miata. i'm getting 29 mpg now that i'm not using so much AC. in the hot summer i get around 25. i feel like mazda had my body in mind when they designed the inside. my husband, on the other hand is a big guy. when he gets in it he feels like a sausage. but he rarely gets in it. lol

[LisaM]

31. I had a friend who had a Ford Probe, which was designed for women to drive

and it was a dream to drive. I loved it, the visibility was amazing. It just goes to show they can do it if they want to.

[Ilsa]

37. I drove a Probe also for a rental. Loved it!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

64. It was a Mazda.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Probe

The Ford Probe was a coupe produced by Ford, introduced in 1989 to replace the Ford EXP as the company's sport compact car. The Probe was fully based on the Mazda G-platform using unique sheetmetal and interior. The instrument cluster and pop-up headlight mechanisms are borrowed from the FC RX-7.

I like the Probe and its sibling, the MX-6. I've considered buying one or the other at various times. I had a first gen RX-7, and I loved that. Mazdas are, in my opinion, the best Japanese cars as far as handling goes.

[Kalyke]

68. Ford owns a third of Mazda - so, it's a Ford.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

71. It was a Mazda GD/GE platform car.

It's a Mazda design with Ford bodywork and interior. The fact that Ford has a stake in Mazda is irrelevant. It's much the same as the new Saabs, which are basically Opel/Vauxhall Vectra derivations.

[olegramps]

57. I owned a Mazda Miata

I was rear ended and it cost over $10,000 to repair it. I was surprised that the insurance company didn't total it out. The people that fixed it did a super job. It was a fun car to drive, but I sure would not have liked to drive it across country. My brother-in-law, a bit guy, got in it and his head was hitting the top and his knees were jambed against the dash.

[Bigmack]

62. Rear visibility is just OK...

but I've driven a truck for years, so I do something unheard of for most drivers.... I use the side mirrors.

If I had my way, the little screen on the Prius that tells the status of the charging system would have an option for a rear-facing camera.

[KansDem]

13. I was out in northern California last week visiting a friend...

He had a brand-new Prius that we drove around in. I was really impressed with it and hope to buy one for myself!

[WriteDown]

19. Why would you buy a car built by non-unionized labor...

when cars like the Chevy Volt are just around the corner(fingers crossed)??

[KansDem]

22. I did rent a Chevy Cobalt while I was there and like it as well...

It will be awhile until I can afford a new car, so I'll see what Chevy does with its Volt...

But I liked the computer screen and option of a back-up camera that Prius offers! :D

[WriteDown]

24. This stuff infurites me....

A computer screen and backup camera are no reason not to support union labor. Their nice but actually supporting decent wages in the US should be worth more to people.

[KansDem]

27. Hey, calm down...

Let's see what Chevy does with the Volt...OK? :)

[snooper2]

32. So buy a sub-par product...

just to support union labor...

:wtf:

[digidigido]

33. You miss the point, because you are defending a principle

When you spend the kind of $$ a car costs, you buy what you like. The question of union labor vs non union labor
is not, and SHOULD NOT be the ONLY factor. The problem is not How the car is made, it's the design of the car, and
so many other things, but also If it appeals to you.
IF you're of one faith or one color, you don't limit yourself to that when choosing a partner. The
choices we make in life are colored by lots of reasons.
If I told you my best friend died when a Pinto exploded, you would not be surprised if I would never buy a Ford.
If my wife had parents who were gasses by the Nazi's you would not be surprised if we don't buy Mercedes Benz,
There are many many factors that color decisions, and if Union Made is yours, God Bless you, but get off your cross,
we need the wood

[Acadia Blue]

40. If our American auto makers survive, I will never buy a foreign car

again and I have bought some in my life. My current used car is American and out little truck is a Ford Ranger. But after this I will never never never buy a non-union American car if we keep out auto plants.

[Tesha]

48. Let's see: I could buy a car that's a brand new design and brand new to the market or I could...

buy a car that has eleven successful years behind it. And, oh yeah,
the *BRAND NEW* design is made by GM, not a company famous
for getting it right "out of the box" even when the technology they're
deploying isn't brand new to them.

Tesha

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

63. Right around the corner...

...from a company that's threatening to go bankrupt at the end of the month. Right.

[Romulox]

14. Logic problem: the ones made in Japan aren't made with union labor, either...

(While Japanese workers may be nominally unionized, their "unions" are not in any way comparable to US unions...)

[WriteDown]

17. Wait for the Chevy Volt...

Hopefully GM will still be around to make them at that point.

[alfredo]

16. They waited until after the failure of the bail out vote.

[CoffeeCat]

18. Hasn't a major argument against "the big three"...

...been that they are producing cars that people want to buy? Many have insinuated that
if GM, Chrysler or Ford would just get to work on more fuel-efficient or hybrid models that
all would be well?

Toyota's troubles demonstrate that the problems is with people not buying cars. Who in the hell
would buy a new car right now--besides the uber wealthy? Even well off people have seen their
401ks sink and it scares them. They're not going to buy a new car when their retirement has
been cut in half.

Consumers are demanding less of everything right now. It's not the fault of the companies. It's
not the fault of the unions.

Also, this news is so shocking. We test drove a Prius about a year ago. We were told that they
couldn't keep them on the lot, and that every one we currently saw---would be gone in a week. Sure
enough, when we returned in a week, there were two left. There had originally been 30 on the lot.

Toyota couldn't make Priuses fast enough...and now they're contracting like this? That is a very
stark difference, all in a year's time.

[Trajan]

23. It is about INCOME ...

Specific car type are irrelevant ....

People arent buying cars because they dont have money to buy cars ...

I could not afford even a used Prius .... And I have a 'decent job' ....

[formercia]

25. If they gave me a Prius, I couldn't afford the taxes.

Being poor sucks, but, at least I won't notice the Depression. Been in one a long time. I'm institutionalized to the Depression mindset already.

[antimatter98]

29. Hear, Hear.

I don't understand why folks don't realize that without the ABILITY to MAKE PAYMENTS,
taking on credit is impossible. And everyone of modest means is roped in to 22% CC
interest rates.

Besides, and I know this goes against the American concept of 'buying,' but does it
make sense to take on a 72 month loan for a car that will ultimately cost much more
in interest payments than the sticker price? (Maybe for a business it does).

The truth is that cars and houses plust a variety of other items are priced above
reality.

As a friend said to me years ago, "I have the power to purchase but not the power to
PAY."

[Trajan]

35. Yea verily ....

I paid $1400 in cash for a 90 Camry (110,000 miles with a super clean engine) .... Previously I owned a 1997 Camaro, which was paid in installments, but was still a used car ...

I have no intention of using credit in the future, although I will cosign for college loans for my kids ...

Until my income picture improves, I will maintain an 'money emergency' stance and resist frivolous purchases.

[pipoman]

47. Yep,

we buy decent used Hondas and Toyotas then drive them til they drop. Then pay cash for another. I spent 20 years repossessing cars (somewhere north of 15,000) and have seen people buried in new cars. Even if they can make the payments it is like throwing money in the toilet.

I remember years ago, before talk radio, listening to Bruce Williams (I am sure he is a huge Pug but his show wasn't political). He is/was extremely wealthy and said, "I can't afford a new car. The depreciation alone makes new car buying idiotic." As years went by I realized how right he was.

[Acadia Blue]

39. You are right. We bought a used car for the first time 2 years ago,

and need a new one but are hold off because we don't want any debt other than the house note.

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

65. Well, income is an element, yes...

But really it's about three things: Cash flow, profitability, and cash-on-hand. Unfortunately, GM is currently falling down on all three of those. They're not selling much, their fixed costs are high, and they didn't have anything like the rainy day fund they should have had. A perfect storm of incompetence, exacerbated by economic conditions.

[Trajan]

78. I think you misunderstand ...

I was speaking of WORKER income, in all sectors of the economy ... NOT corporate income, which is presumed to be poor, and which would explain why they are experiencing extreme losses ....

Workers have no expendable income, and without money to spend, will get no access to credit, and hence, why they are not buying cars, or much of anything else ....

Corporate revenues for manufacturers will NOT improve until workers have more money in their pockets ....

GM's workers can buy Ford, Chrysler, GM, or ANY vehicle make .... why ? .. Because THEY MAKE ENOUGH ...

It is the NON UNION workers who cannot buy cars ....

[BR_Parkway]

30. Well gee Senator, now that you through your countrymen & women

under the bus in your haste to bust unions and blame anything else besides the shitty economic conditions you and your ilk created - it comes back to bite you in the ass.

No new jobs in Mississippi to smooth your way into re-election, and one incredibly pissed off, well organized group of people who are about to have plenty of time on their hands (thanks to you) that they can devote to throwing your "party first, country tough shit" ass out of office.

[specimenfred1984]

36. Just a measly $22,000 with approved financing from corrupt banks!

What a steal! Question is, who's doing the stealing?

[Acadia Blue]

38. Good. F..........g red state senators deserve to get some heat from

their brain dead propagandized fundamentalist citizens. I wish the whole damn south would lose all its auto plants, and I live in the buckle of the bible belt. In my state there is only about 30 percent who always vote democrat.

[jpak]

41. TEH GOP SHOULD DEMAND CONCESSIONS FROM TOYOTA UAW WORKERS THAT MAKE $73/HR

oops

never mind

:evilgrin:

[workinclasszero]

58. I blame the UAW...all those 78 dollar an hour union jobs

are killing Toyota!!1!!Plus the piss poor management!! Imagine the stupidity of building a hybrid when the people demand gas-gulping earth-destroying SUV's!!11!!

Let them go BANKRUPT!!1!!1!!1!

Oh wait.......................


:sarcasm:

[Better Believe It]

66. McCain says we can make $25 an hour picking lettuce.

[Sex Pistol]

73. Ugly car...on the other hand, I like the Highlander.

[wordpix]

74. yeah, we all love gas guzzling dinosaurs wasting the world's natural resources while encouraging

oil wars. :banghead:

[spoony]

79. Speaking of the world's resources

There is a problematic facet to hybrid technology as it exists today, and that is the mining that has to be done for their nickel battery components. That pollutes. A lot. And nickel is no more infinite than oil, and getting to it is often as destructive.

Add to that the fact that gas guzzling is not just a function of the vehicle, but how it's driven. If you speed around in a hybrid, that mileage is going to drop like a rock.

While the benefits of moving in this direction are great, let's not pretend that "green" cars are currently without their own impacts on the environment.

[Sex Pistol]

80. Actually, the Highlander is a crossover.

And it gets good power and decent mileage from of its V-6 engine.

I prefer trucks, crossovers and yes, SUV's over conventional cars.

[Fire_Medic_Dave]

77. I really like the Tundra.

[Sex Pistol]

81. Me too, but I couldn't justify the price difference between it my F-150.

But I do like and have had excellent service from my Toyotas. I have a Forerunner and an 1986 pickup (over 362,00 miles).

[WriteDown]

82. Two bad about the 86 pickup...

You could have got the 85 with the solid axel (4 wheelers dream) :).