Toyota Open to New Manufacturing Plant in Michigan

Toyota's newest board member and first non-Japanese one said at a luncheon that Toyota was still open to building a manufacturing plant in Michigan.

That's like taking on the big three, Ford Motor Co., DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group and General Motors Corp, in their back yard.

Toyota is already building a $150 million technical center near Ann Arbor, MI with plans of hiring 400 engineers by next year.

Analysts say that Toyota is leery of heavily unionized Michigan and its high labor costs.

Press, the new boardman, said, a GM-Toyota joint venture is working in Fremont, CA. Why not in MI, too?

In a very pc way, Press said, "We don't have a position. It's (unionization) not a factor. It's neither an advantage nor a disadvantage or an asset or a liability."

Uh, right.

Do you think Toyota would be wise to build a plant in heavily unionized area as opposed to the south or some other location where there are no unions?