When GM pulled out of its Fremont, CA NUMMI joint venture with Toyota during its bankruptcy-bailout, the UAW took the opportunity to bash the Japanese automaker, protesting its dealers based on the false accusation that it, rather than GM, had killed NUMMI. But in fact, despite suffering from overcapacity in the US, Toyota was anxious to keep NUMMI open, and according to interviews with Toyota executives that went into the book “Toyota Under Fire,” Toyota offered something to GM as incentive to keep the plant open. At the time, speculation ran rampant that Toyota offered to rebadge the Toyota Prius for GM, but that didn’t happen. Instead Toyota offered GM something else… and we want you to guess what.
Here’s how the contest works: surf over to TTAC’s Facebook page, find the wall post titled “TTAC Contest: What Did Toyota Offer GM?” and add your guess to the comments section there. The first person to post the correct answer will be contacted for their address, and we will send you a special prize: a Chevrolet Volt-branded pen that was used (briefly) by TTAC Editor-in-Chief to take notes at the Volt’s press launch. You know you want it… now go post your answer on Facebook!
based upon first hand knowledge of how GM couldn’t hit the Buick admin bldg in Flint fast enough (not bothering to decontent after obtaining permits), I’d surmise they did whatever it took to close NUMMI as fast as possible, along with Janesville, Muncie, Grand Rapids, Delphi Flint East, Wilmington, and on and on. there’s so much more to the story of Red Ink Rick intentionaly bankrupting GM. he quietly walked away with millions and a spot at the Washington Post. so nice to be a part of the Good Old Boys club and be rewarded for serving the international banksters who dominated the Board of Bystanders and for stripping the company of assets then funneling the capital to thru advice and fees, thru the Fiat Fiasco and Delphi Debacle. think I’m bitter? I predicted it, lived it, and now clearly see the decimation these greedy sobs left in their wake.
Buickman
But wasn’t he just a part of the continuum that produced Smith, took Smale, hired Zarella, purged Stempel and Reuss the Elder, etc.
GM died the death of a thousand cuts, but slowly, as it just took 3 decades for the company to finally bleed out.
C’mon… tell us how you really feel!!!
Does the pen double as a lighter?
Nope.
Maybe they offered GM a version of the Camry for the next Malibu?
Hehheh! I see what you did there.
My guess is TM offered cold hard cash $.
Monte (Carlo): “And Jay, what did Toyota offer GM to keep NUMMI open?”
J(-body): “Well Monté, if we look behind door number 3, we can see it’s a … wait for it … BRAND-NEW-CAR!! (Cue Caroll Merrill, the cheering audience track and the confetti.)
(BTW, did I tell anyone that I hate Facebook?? Don’t know why, just do… maybe it is the lousy security…)
Why can’t we just answer here?
Sorry, but you have to answer on Facebook. Trust us, we wouldn’t nudge you over there if our Facebook page didn’t offer a steady supply of “outtakes,” Panther Love, videos, questions and conversations that perhaps aren’t quite serious enough for our blog. Think of it as “TTAC after hours,” except that it’s nothing like John McElroy’s “Autoline After Hours.” In other words, don’t answer at Facebook because we want you to (we have no financial incentive to create a more informal Facebook community), but because you want to check out our Facebook page, whether you know it or not.
Toyota’s runaway engineering capability
I’m seeing the pen as a clue, so I’m guessing Tesla!
Toyotas amazing exciting stylist! Or perhaps it was the amazing cars that drive (accelerate)themselves.
Sell Impalas with a Toyota badge?
Merge the Lexus and the Buick brands?
To buy Opel?
To purchase a developing country together?
Buy up GM?
To make the Camry feel even more like a boat?
I’ll answer here since I’m anti-Facebook so if someone wants to steal my answer feel free:
A Tacoma-based truck to be sold as the new S10/Colorado/whatever. It’s gotta be a more NUMMI-relevant guess than Prius/Camry hooey.
If you’re gonna be a bear, be a grizzly. So I’ll up the ante to a diesel HiLux as the new Chevy Luv.
92, having just returned from Afghanistan, I found a huge appreciation for the diesel HiLux. But unfortunately, a small diesel 5-speed truck won’t hunt here in the States…
Why the push to facebook?
Dont you want more traffic to this site, where you have ads?
Coffee.
Eiji Toyoda’s greatest hits.
Another lecture from the pro-Toyota media about how everything Toyota makes is the best thing in the marketplace. Even if it doesn’t sell.
A cash settlement and the shredding of all documents related to Toyota’s online campaign to besmirch the Chevy Cobalt.
A free tour guide. That being the annoying kid in that Toyota Sienna commercial.
A pledge to make the next generation Corolla as exciting as the current generation Yaris.
Scion
A conspiracy to kidnap Honda’s ASIMO robot and make it work on the assembly line.
Robert Farago’s head on a platter.
A sequel to the movie ‘Gung Ho’.
…..
My vote is for cash and a short joint-venture with a Corolla based vehicle.
Free limited license to Toyota’s hybrid propulsion system
I’m with the screw facebook crowd and i vote that they offered the Yaris to help Gm get rid of the Aveo…
Toyota offered GM………………
Manchuoko!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
+1
Toyota offered GM a bigger financial stake in NUMMI
What is this the third article in 24 hours to hit GM? GM was losing money (mainly their own fault) and they cut capacity – sensible and urged by many on here. Now they are being criticized for closing sites. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
The rights to “Oh what a feeling” and production guarantees in the highly unlikely event that there would ever be an earthquake that disrupted production in Japan.
A kilo of blow.
Whoops, wrong car company…
About 29 years too late…
Wow. If we had a door prize and if you posted this on Facebook…
“TTAC Contest: What Did Toyota Offer GM?”
Free floor mats.
If you want to talk about false, TTACs article about GM being the reason NUMMI was closed is false. Toyota’s percentage of production was over 75% of the output of the facility. Toyota had too much capacity, but GM’s production at NUMMI was peanuts. Instead of closing other plants, Toyota closed NUMMI. Their right to do so when GM didn’t have a stake in it anymore.
If Toyota did offer GM something to keep it up, I am guessing it was a Tacoma clone (as people have already stated).
Tacoma rebadge was the correct answer. Congratulations to Jacob Brown, and apologies to everyone who knew/guessed but didn’t want to post on our Facebook page. In the future we’ll be doing more contests over on Facebook, so get over your fears already and “like” us if you want to win all the awesome branded swag us big time “auto journalists” get while attending swanky junkets.
No go Facebook.
Told ye I be Disgruntled. Old. Codger-like.
I will play with my ball in my own shanty’s yard.
There has to be more to it than that, unless toyota truely believes (in a GM 80’s sort of way) that the tundra is going to be alot more than it is and yes you do see alot of them and for some reason it’s ex-GMer’s going to them (observations from the trade in lots, have ford, chevy, toyota and Chryco dealers all right next to each other), but not enough to justify the investment made for what is basically a US only vehicle.
Tacoma rebadge, not Tundra.
Ed:
One of the few things GM actually needs.. is a C class hatch.. that they refuse to build.
P.S
I really wish ya wouldn’t push people to go onto shitbook. Ya couldn’t get me to log on or be a member of that site if ya had a gun to my head. Id rather take the bullet.