Toyota’s Venezuelan unit has yet to be inspected by the government, today’s Nikkei [sub] reports. As a matter of fact, they haven’t heard a peep.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez last week threatened to nationalize the plants of foreign car makers, and ordered his Trade Minister Eduardo Saman to “immediately” conduct a thorough inspection. Nothing happened.
Chavez said if Toyota doesn’t make a sufficient number of “rustic vehicles,” then he will nationalize the plant and bring in the Chinese to run it.
Chavez also lambasted Toyota and other auto assemblers including Fiat and GM for not bringing the latest technology to Venezuela.
The Trade Ministry is most likely on an extended Christmas holiday. We’ll see what the new year will bring: More rhetoric, action, or nada,
Chavez is just dying for technology, he wants Venezuela to be another “worker’s paradise” like China.
Wonder where all the “bomb him” posters were from yesterday…probably moved on to Newsmax…
That Hugo Chavez is quite the comedian!
Toyota Farm Implements??
I would never advocate bombing Chavez. His demise will come from the will of the Venezuelan people when they have enough of this tyrant. The best thing that Toyota and the rest of the automakers could do is call his bluff and leave. Then his government can make all the “rustic” vehicles they want. By the way, not all conservatives are religous or read Newsmax, for the record.
Chavez doesn’t know anything about modern technology. He is currently running Venezuela’s oil industry into the ground. If he screws any major foreign company, no one will risk becoming involved with him.
So, he wants rustic vehicles with all of thelatest technology. Is there a translation problem or is he really that big of a moron? Both?