NUMMI Story on "This American Life"

did they mention the fact that g.m. exports its jobs to, and imports componentry from china? or did they simply point out that toyota creates american jobs and buys their componentry from american manufacturers? i doubt they said that japan is an ally and that china is not. or that american taxpayer support of companies that export their business and jobs to a country that completely disrespects human rights, democracy or intellectual property is nothing short of fraud.

you're perpetrating a fraud ed. you should hang your head in shame.

It looks like Toyotas propaganda has you convinced. LOL

What percentage of Toyota parts are sourced from a communist dictatorship? Show your source when you respond.

Are you still holding onto the myth that GM's bailout was ever about jobs?

Another cross-postie, kf it goes, bye-bye.

When I first read about NUMMI, it seemed that Toyota got into this thing as an accomodation to GM. When GM folded, there was no reason to continue, this most expensive manufacturing site in America.

I could be wrong. If GM had no alternative, then neither did Toyota.

I had hoped that GM would learn why Toyota was able to sell its Corolla from NUMMI (I'm driving one) for $1000 or so more than the Geo Prism that came down the same line and was worked on by the same workers. They didn't.

Charles Grozny

What components and how much does it import from China? Does GM have Chinese partners who, together, make cars for the Chinese market, thereby moving GM into a new market?

Toyota does import many of its parts (more than the Michigan 3).

The alternative is to let poor people in China stay poor.

JEff

A relative has had a Prism for many years. Good car. I had hoped that consumers would learn not to pay $1000 more for the Corolla. They didn't. Resale is better for the Toyota if sold still young. But when you get north of 100k miles it starts turning into a net loser on that score.

gm has considerable manufacturing capacity in china. and it makes and sells vehicles there for that market. but it also uses that capacity to make things like seats, drive shafts, brakes, wiring looms, computers and instrumentation for our market. taxpayers supporting those operations is utterly ridiculous when millions of americans are out of work.

sadly, it doesn't. camry for instance is 80% locally sourced. that's better than typical gm.

chinese peasants staying poor, as they have for millennia under assorted despots and tyrants, is a damned sight more tolerable to me than watching americans /become/ poor because their jobs have been shipped to a country that also steals their intellectual property and money.

eh? how do you figure that? year for year, any year, what is the resale value of the prism vs the corolla?

and who threatens our allies in the region.

gm's manufacturing facilities in germany are considerably more expensive than any they operate here. more expensive labor [MUCH more powerful unions], components, logistics, etc. yet gm are able to make a profit on those operations. odd how they say they're unable to do so here.

Those of you who buy into this coverage being "pro-Toyota" and "anti- GM" are delusional and have you head in the sand. Listen to it again without you instinctual bias flaming and you will realize the story stands on its own and is a fine and objective piece of journalism. Your attitude undermines the US economy as we lose the new jobs battle to China and the other economies for true green technology developing now.

What percentage of these components sold in the US are made in China? The Michigan 3 sell cars with a higher percentage of US-made components than the import brands, although until the end of the Bush administration, they came close.

Typical GM is around 75-80%. Typical Toyota and Honda around 55-60%. Particular models, like the Sienna, are around 85% US-made. The numbers are from before the end of the Bush era. After that, a lot has changed like the closing of the NUMMI plant. Toyota may import a different percentage of its cars than before because of different models selling better and other economic reasons.

I disagree. You could have made the same argument for Korea 40 years ago. Yet, S. Korea, where we important a lot from has done quite well. N. Korea, from whom we important next to nothing is still dirt poor.

Jeff

You can run numbers on kbb.com. Believe the numbers or not. But many private buyers/sellers use kbb to set the starting bargaining price for a used car. Bottom line is once a car is +10 years old and +100k miles the kbb resale value difference for Corollas and Prizms begins to merge, going below the $1000 initial Corolla premium mentioned. So if you intend to drive your car beyond those years/miles The Corolla offers no advantage. Unless you just need the Corolla label for personal reasons. Buying a 5 year old Corolla instead of a Prizm was always a sucker play. And according to my relative she saved close to $2000 buying the Prizm over the Corolla when she bought it new. But I don't know the truth, what rebates, etc were offered. People often lie about cars, even relatives. I do know it's a '95 Geo Prizm and last time I drove it it had about

It's a very good piece of journalism. I find it different in that the style of the show is different than other "This American Life" Episodes.

I think its objectivity is limited. The story that it tells is the story of the people who worked for NUMMI, GM and Toyota (at NUMMI and other facilities in the US and Japan). To me, I don't think that the show was about being anti-GM or pro-Toyota, but rather, just to tell the stories of the people.

Jeff

I'm ok with that. As the Americans are layed off at my company more H1B's from India take their place. I guess to Britain India is the good colony, America is the bad colony.

I doubt Mike or anyone else outside of Toyota knows that. I am sure some are. Toyota is definitely doing buisness in China. They have set up several joint ventures there to manufacture parts. Here are some references:

Ed