Toyota signs land deal for new Michigan tech center
04-13-2005, 10:39 PM
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Toyota signs land deal for new Michigan tech center
Toyota signs land deal for new Michigan tech center - - State kicks in $38.9 million in incentives - - By Dale Jewett - - Source: Automotive News
DETROIT -- After more than nine months of legal wrangling, Toyota Motor Corp. has signed a deal with the state of Michigan to buy a 690-acre chunk of land west of Detroit to build an r&d complex.
But Toyota expects it will take a year to complete the land purchase and get zoning approvals before it starts building. Toyota said it will spend about $150 million on the first phase of the project. It expects to hire about 400 workers for the complex.
The state provided $38.9 million in incentives to Toyota for the project. But it also crossed swords last summer with a real estate development group over the land.
The land had been the site of a state hospital. When the real estate developers outbid Toyota for the site, Gov. Jennifer Granholm stepped in and pushed through legislation permitting her to sell the site to Toyota despite getting a lower price.
The real estate group is appealing the sale to state courts.
The site in York Township, Mich., won't replace the Toyota Technical Center USA Inc. in nearby Ann Arbor, a Toyota spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The 100-acre Ann Arbor site has been in use since 1977 and has about 600 employees. Over the years, Toyota has built up the technical center's capabilities to where it can develop a vehicle from start to finish.
But Toyota needs to increase its vehicle development capabilities in the United States in order to free up resources in Japan to use in other markets. Among the things the automaker wants at the technical center is a test track. Toyota already maintains a proving ground in the Arizona desert west of Phoenix.
But Toyota expects it will take a year to complete the land purchase and get zoning approvals before it starts building. Toyota said it will spend about $150 million on the first phase of the project. It expects to hire about 400 workers for the complex.
The state provided $38.9 million in incentives to Toyota for the project. But it also crossed swords last summer with a real estate development group over the land.
The land had been the site of a state hospital. When the real estate developers outbid Toyota for the site, Gov. Jennifer Granholm stepped in and pushed through legislation permitting her to sell the site to Toyota despite getting a lower price.
The real estate group is appealing the sale to state courts.
The site in York Township, Mich., won't replace the Toyota Technical Center USA Inc. in nearby Ann Arbor, a Toyota spokeswoman said Tuesday.
The 100-acre Ann Arbor site has been in use since 1977 and has about 600 employees. Over the years, Toyota has built up the technical center's capabilities to where it can develop a vehicle from start to finish.
But Toyota needs to increase its vehicle development capabilities in the United States in order to free up resources in Japan to use in other markets. Among the things the automaker wants at the technical center is a test track. Toyota already maintains a proving ground in the Arizona desert west of Phoenix.
04-15-2005, 06:33 PM
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another nail in Detroits coffin. The import manufacturers balls are getting bigger....and our boys can't do a damn thing about it except make excuses. Dammn, who woulda thought that Nissan and Toyota could set up shop in Detroit? And I bet all those people who hate imports in detroit ( which seems like a large part of the population) will be flocking to these people for jobs. 
04-16-2005, 07:39 PM
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04-20-2005, 10:30 PM
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Originally Posted by Loseit
another nail in Detroits coffin. The import manufacturers balls are getting bigger....and our boys can't do a damn thing about it except make excuses. Dammn, who woulda thought that Nissan and Toyota could set up shop in Detroit? And I bet all those people who hate imports in detroit ( which seems like a large part of the population) will be flocking to these people for jobs.
because the Big 3 has been in Detriot forever.
I think it's a symbol saying: We're in your backyard and we're a coming for you.
which IMO: the Big 3 is already running scared because GM lost over 1 billion the first quarter of this year. Dodge is just treading water, and Ford isn't much better.
04-20-2005, 10:41 PM
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I bet that the quality of the cars that will be built there won't be on the same level as the Toyota models built in Japan. 
Seems to be a pretty standard theory for companies building cars in the states now.
Seems to be a pretty standard theory for companies building cars in the states now.
04-20-2005, 10:49 PM
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Originally Posted by cob3683
I bet that the quality of the cars that will be built there won't be on the same level as the Toyota models built in Japan.
Seems to be a pretty standard theory for companies building cars in the states now.
Seems to be a pretty standard theory for companies building cars in the states now.
For example: I see you are from Alabama. a few years ago Honda put up a rather large plant for the Odyseey. Also Toyota in the last about 6 years has put up 2 truck plants in the U.S.A.(one in Indiana and the one in Texas i heard getting closer). I heard Toyota added onto their KY plant. I heard Nissan added onto their Tenn plant.
also Honda is in my area. rarely does time go by without them dumping money into buildings/ land. If Honda,Toyota,Nissan didn't believe that Americans couldn't build cars as well as Americans they wouldn't sink TONS AND TONS of capital into America.
Also I asked dad as far as designs in Honda whos getting to do the designs on cars. he said when he started there(23 years ago) American engineers hardly had anything to do with the decisions of new models. Now it's opposite. American engineers are pinching out the Japanese engineers.
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