USA Built Prius? California Dreamin'

Just saw something on TV that said when the Big 3 recently closed 5 vehicle
assembly plants, 26,000 jobs were affected. So that would mean ~5,000
new jobs, certainly a dream come true for the LA area.

For a moment, let's say that the negotiations are successful and the Prius is
built, I wonder how long it would take to get the first car out the door. Will
the car be a Toyota or a what, GM? Chevy?

Do you think it would be called a Prius? The GM version of the Matrix is the
Vibe. There have been other name transformations, though I can't
remember what they are.

If it's not called a Prius, What do you think it would be called?

How about the Amp, playing off the Volt.

Scam? Oops, I mean Scamp?

I've read that prius is Latin for 'goes before.' What is Latin for 'comes after?'
Postius?

 

Well, it appears that the earlier report that Toyota will manufacture the
Prius in CA, were premature, or speculative, or a smoke screen. Whatever.
More recently Toyota has officially reported that the Prius will be built in
Mississippi:

Quote:

07/10/2008
July 10, 2008 – Erlanger, KY - Toyota is responding to changes in consumer
demand and improving the production efficiency and stability of its North
American operations by adjusting production mix at three plants. The changes
include the addition of the Prius hybrid sedan to its North American lineup.
The changes are as follows:
- Prius will be built at a plant under construction in Blue Springs, Miss.
Production is scheduled to begin in late 2010. Prius, which will join the
Kentucky-built Camry Hybrid as the second Toyota hybrid built in North
America, enables Toyota to better respond to increased consumer demand
for hybrid vehicles.
- The Highlander mid-size SUV, originally scheduled to be built in
Mississippi, will now be manufactured in Princeton, Ind., beginning in Fall 2009.
- Production of the Tundra full-size pick-up truck, currently built in Indiana
and Texas, will be consolidated at the San Antonio plant in Spring 2009.
In addition, Toyota will temporarily suspend Tundra and Sequoia production
beginning August 8 due to the declining overall market for full size trucks
and SUVs. Production is scheduled to resume in early November. Team
members at both facilities, as well as the Huntsville, Ala. plant that builds
Tundra and Sequoia engines, will continue to be provided work.
"The truck market continues to worsen, so unfortunately we must
temporarily suspend production. But this good news about production mix
demonstrates our long-term commitment to our North American operations
and to our team members, supplier partners, and communities where our
plants are located," said Jim Wiseman, vice president/external affairs for
Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA). "By using
this downturn as an opportunity to develop team members and improve our
operations, we hope to emerge even stronger."


To follow this story, go to this thread:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-h...an-made-toyota-build-plant-mississippi-6.html

Rokeby's personal, wholly unsupported, idle speculation: If all the North
American Prii are built in the USofA, that would leave Toyota with excess
ocean shipping capacity. What better way to use it than by importing the
hybrid mini-van?

Shrewd move that would be! (You heard it here first.) We'll have to wait
and see... with fingers crossed, of course!