Toyota is partnering with Tesla to make electric cars. Toyota has made a deal to buy the initial $50 million dollars of Telsa's upcoming $100 million dollar initial public stock Tesla has lost more than $236 million since its founding in 2003.. With Toyota's financial support and a 2009 $465 million federal government loan package, Tesla has purchased and will run independently the closed Fremont, California NUMMI (GM/Toyota) plant to make about 20,000 Tesla Model S electric sedan vehicles per year which Tesla hopes to sell for about $50,000 each in 2012. Tesla has about 20000 reservations to purchase the Model S. Tesla plans to increase its staff by about 50 employees per month and bring 1000 employees working at the Fremont when the factory becomes fully operational. For its part in the partnership, Tesla will share its drive-train technology with Toyota. Toyota hopes to use the Tesla drive train in a new Toyota model.
The partnership and reopening of the NUMMI factory come as a surprise to many. Tesla was widely expected to set up shop in an old NASA facility in the Los Angeles suburb of Downey.
Toyota, Tesla Team Up on EV ChuckSquatrigla. May 20 2010. Autopioa. Wired.com
Tesla joins with Toyota to reopen Nummi plan Tom Abate and David R Baker San Francisco Chronicle. Friday May 21 2010
Toyota to invest $50M in Tesla electric car plant Daisy Nguyen. Associated Press San Francisco Chronicles Thur May 20, 2010