0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Oh, that makes a lot more sense. For decades we get the crappiest looking cars while the Europeans get the good ones. FINALLY Ford is waking up to that. I know the 2010 Focus is a big seller, has many attributes, but it's got econobox written all over its looks. (Image removed from quote.)
I've heard rumors of a 1.6l Eco-boost (turbo) engine for the next Focus that should top 40 mpg.I have a Mazda 3, which is based on the previous C1 platform of the Euro Focus, and I can tell you that they handle very well
Has anyone experienced trouble with a Toyota ?
I drove a camry that had been my wife's since high school with no problems. We traded it in for a new Corolla that had the computer die while my wife was driving it.
Toyota Motor Corp. is pulling the plug on a California assembly plant it owned jointly with the former General Motors Corp., marking the first time the Japanese car maker has been involved in closing a factory in the U.S.Toyota's board voted Thursday to end production next March at the factory, known as New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. or Nummi. The plant, which makes about 400,000 vehicles a year, has mostly been a money-loser since Toyota and GM set up their partnership in 1984.Atsushi Niimi, executive vice president of Toyota, said in a statement the company determined the plant can't be economically viable and "we deeply regret having to take this action."The move reflects the troubles facing both GM and Toyota. Toyota's new chief executive, Akio Toyoda -- who once was general manager of Nummi -- needs to cut excess production capacity and end the losses that the company is expected to report for its second fiscal year in a row.In July, as part of GM's federally funded bankruptcy, GM abandoned its ownership in Nummi. That put Toyota in the awkward position of determining the fate of the factory in Fremont, south of San Francisco, and its 4,700 union-represented workers."Closing facilities is not part of Toyota's DNA, but it shows the depths of the adjustment that this industry has to endure," said CSM Worldwide automotive analyst Michael Robinet.Over the last decade, Toyota opened several factories across North America. When vehicle sales plummeted last year, Toyota curtailed manufacturing but continued to pay thousands of idled workers, costing the company millions of dollars. Toyota has indefinitely delayed the completion of a factory in Mississippi.Struggling with excessive production capacity of 10 million vehicles a year, Toyota said this week it would halt an assembly line in Japan next year. The company also is considering suspending a line at a U.K. plant, a person familiar with the matter said.Those cuts, along with Nummi, could trim Toyota's annual capacity by up to 700,000 vehicles. Nummi's pickup truck production will shift to a Toyota plant in San Antonio. Corolla car assembly will go to Cambridge, Ontario, and Japan.Union officials, lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger have appealed to Toyota to save the last auto plant in the state. California Assembly leader Alberto Torrico, a Democrat from Fremont, estimated that Nummi and companies that supply it result in 20,000 jobs and $1.4 billion in statewide payroll.
This Mini Roadster concept is hot(Image removed from quote.)I'd rock one.
Yep, they've had a partnership for a while. The Toyota Matrix was sold as the Pontiac Vibe. Toyota sold the Cavalier in japan (Image removed from quote.)
I dunno. Doesn't this have "chick car" written all over it? I mean, I've driven a chick car. It's not an easy thing to get away with.
I guess, but I don't care. I'd have no qualms driving a Miata either, and they are considered chick cars too.
Completely a chick car. Zero snarl factor. Get one of the little BMW's if you want something with attitude.
(Image removed from quote.)Yeah, nothing says macho like a little BMW.
