Worst Idea Ever: Toyota To Produce Prius For GM?

Very interesting story. Will GM (a seemingly dieing star of the auto manufacturing world) suck Toyota into it's influence, pulling anything it grasps onto into it's black hole? Will Toyota's Prius be enough to keep this giant from dieing out. What will Toyota think about all the government strings attached since GM took the bail out money. Will the government start telling Toyota how to run a car company, how much their executives can make...will the quality of the Prius drop or at least the perception if GM makes them? Will Toyota go for it? Do they need to? They already have plants here in the US...do they want to start dealing with UAW? Will the price of the Prius go up? So many questions, it will be interesting to follow this.

 

General Motors - Holden and Toyota had a model sharing arangement back in the 80s and 90s.
Toyota used the 4 cylinder Holden Starfire engine, a dog in anyones language, to power the Corona. Toyota made the engine run much better than holden ever managed by using a smaller carburetor rather than the monster Variajet holden decided was fine for a 4 cylinder 1900cc engine even though it was big enough for their 3300cc 6 cylinder engines.
Holden sold Camry as the Apollo
Holden sold Corolla as the Nova
Toyota sold Commodore as Lexcen (Named after Ben Lexcen, designer of Australia II which won the Americas Cup)

Prior to this Holden sold Nissan Pulsar as Astra and used Nissan 6 cylinder engines in Commodore while helping Pontiac develop its V6 into an engine that wasn't a complete dog.

Here is one for the fact is stranger than fiction.
Some HJ series Holden Premier bodies were assembled by Mazda in Japan, which fitted with the company's rotary engine.[9] The car, manufactured between 1975 and 1977 sold as the Mazda Roadpacer was quite heavy and the rotary engine of the time was severely underpowered.[10] To compensate for the lack of performance, Mazda endowed the car with a myriad of electrical gadgets, thus making the performance even worse. 800 were sold.

 

Pat I think it was spelt Lexcen! Correct me if I am wrong. Best car I ever had. I loved it.

 

I bet this Stroker engine would have cured that power problem

Rumpity-rumpity-rumpity-rumpity

Sort of like this Holden doing a smokin burnout

This a neighbor of yours?

Unreal

 

You'd have thought they learned after trying to sell the No-va to Hispanics. Was the pitchman for the Stroker Monty Python's Biggus Dickus?

 

Bev, you're right, I fixed it.

Jayman, did you spot the South Aussie accent in the first one? It actually sounded like me! But it wasn't me. We have our share of morons in South Australia unfortunately. What sort of dipstick would do that sort of thing in the street? But worse, I think the did it outside their own homes by the looks. DUMB!

I guess Mazda never made a stroker, so they used their 13B engine. I had a 13B in my race car and it did very well for me, my skill level wasn't where it needed to be to win races but others were winning races using the 13B engine. Trouble was the 13B rotary was normally fitted to a <1000kg car and Mazda in their wisdom stuck the poor little thing in a nearly 2 tonne car! No wonder it was a slug.

Take the engine from this

And stick it in this; -


and wonder why it's a slug and drinks fuel?

 

NUMMI has built the Pontiac Vibe which is a Matrix twin with GM influenced exterior. I prefer the 2009 Matrix styling over the Vibe.

Wouldn't be surprised if GM wants to change the Prius exterior slightly to differentiate it as one of their products.

GM has done virtually nothing to warrant putting their name on a Prius or Prius-like vehicle.

That's about all I can say now.

 

Except the Gen2 has an inferior pair of front seats (think Yaris liftback). I can hear it now .... 'my '06 seats are great .... for me!' Well, good for you.

I don't want the Gen2 Prius or a variant to ever be sold as new again. That might further erode resale values of used Gen2's as well.
I want Toyota to move forward, for good, and also, don't ever put a pair of seats like that (Gen2) in car that is anywhere near $15k or more.

Gen3 > Gen2

 

So, if you have an opinion about the Gen II why don't you come out and say it, rather than make us guess how you really feel.

Tom

 

The NUMMI plant also produces Corollas and Tacomas, both very reliable vehicles. NUMMI operates under the Toyota Prod. Sys. (TPS) and is nearly as efficient as top plants in Japan.

 

NUMMI is still producing corollas and Vibes, but the plant must be hurting though.

Just curious, what Toyota was a rebadged Pontiac?

Lot of suppliers would hurt from NUMMI closing.
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off topic, but I think GM is stuck in the past and have an attitude and business vision problem.

So, they've produced some 2010 Camaros. Wow. What demographic and % of market share do they plan to capture with that behemoth? They sure were touting that beast at the auto shows last Nov. and again in Jan.

 

NUMMI is a UAW plant.

 

GM has a lot of soon to be empty real estate around the country. It follows that foreign car companies are looking for ways to utilize that real estate, maybe in ways that aren't so direct. This kind of arrangement suggests a way for the country to go hybrid in a much bigger way--to the benefit of both GM and Toyota. I suspect that Obama's Car Panel controlling purse strings may be involved here. I think they are pushing for serious hybrid volume in the next few years. And this is one way for GM to be involved.

 

Oh, I'm sure GM-ites have quite the love affair with NASCAR. Good 'ole boys. Yuck.

 

I can't top that earlier post now permanently recorded.

Perhaps I ought to plan a move into a Gen3 in a couple years in hopes to stop griping about the Gen2. I'm sure some folks around here wouldn't mind.

"First Drive: 2010 Toyota Prius



Making a good thing better"


Well said, Edmonton Journal

 

Precisely why I posted the videos!

Seems to me the plates were fairly visible in those videos. The problem with enforcement is that a bunch of do-gooder lawyers get involved and its not worth the legal hassle

For example, police in Canada rarely engage in pursuits. The 12 year old gang bangers who steal cars know this. The gang bangers also know that, due to some weird political decision, the police cars here don't have bump bars and grille protection.

So all the gang banger has to do is throw his car into reverse, ram the police car, bust the radiator, and knock the police car out of commission. The rationale behind not having pursuits is that they're dangerous, and the hope that those running won't drive like idiots and kill somebody

Problem is, they still run, drive like idiots, kill somebody, and laugh about it

Perspective: Chill. Thrill. Kill. - Winnipeg Free Press

Of course, any kid under the age of 18 can do anything they want, including murder, and once they turn 18, Presto!, a clean record.

Canada has become a dumping ground for criminals and drug dealers. There is a lot of "hidden" crime - including homicide - that is never reported, out of fear. We have a very serious and out-of-control problem, but the do-gooders say it isn't so

Back to topic: Over the next two years, GM is going to emerge a lot smaller than it already is. I rather doubt there will be a rebadged Prius in the lineup

 

Well, technically they're Holden-ites