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While the Big Three languish in UAW-induced financial hell, Toyota is having trouble meeting demand - and may open as many as five new American plants.

Anonymous sources at Toyota have confirmed that one plant will located in the U.S. southeast and one will be located in Mexico. (The photo to the left shows the Toyota plant in Texas, now operating.)
A report in the Internation Herald-Trbune noted that demand isn’t the only consideration:

The concern of Toyota executives about U.S. criticism of its mounting shipments of Japanese-built autos to America is the source of the urgency behind production plans, the people said. Toyota also wants to limit exposure to currency fluctuations against the Japanese yen by building more vehicles where they are sold, they said.

But hey, if Americans didn’t want Toyotas, they wouldn’t be buying millions of them per year. It’s not that difficult a concept - build reliable cars, offer techie features in them, and invest some money in the interior to make it look sophisticated (or at least reasonably pleasing to the eye). That means no gaps in the dash panel, no cheap plastic, and a quality stereo package.
As a side note, now that the Democrats are back in power, expect this controversy to heat up. The Democrats get big bucks from organized labor, who will undoubtedly expect a return on their investment in the party. In addition, the auto controversy could stand as a launching pad for another try at a social healthcare system in the U.S. - with the justification being that foreign competitors to U.S. companies do not have to offer healthcare packages to workers.

Call me crazy, but I always thought that the previous-generation Volvo S40 was one of the most interesting cars in the world. Why? Because it was the ultimate illustration of globalization at work. Just think: A car from a Swedish company (Volvo), owned by an American company (Ford), with engineering and parts from a Japanese company (Mitsubishi) that was partially owned by a German company (DaimlerChrysler) that had purchased an American company (Chrysler).

NASCAR driver Dale Jarrett might just agree with me. Jarrett will soon be racing for Toyota - the first foreign make to race full-time in the NASCAR premier series. In a recent sit-down with NASCAR’s web site, Jarrett offered a few insights into the modern automotive industry:

“As far as Toyota, sure, the parent company is foreign,” Jarrett said. “We could get into the argument about where the Ford Fusion is built; every one of them are built in Mexico. The Monte Carlos are built in Canada.

So we could go through all that stuff and see who is right and who is wrong, but there are a lot of Toyotas that are built in the United States. They employ a lot of people.”

But, Dale, how about the American brands and all of that tradition? Shouldn’t we be psuhing our own stuff?

“But we have to be accepting of change. If we don’t, then you would still be watching 12-inch TV screens, and that’s not a lot of fun whenever you’ve got everything else that’s out there.”

Not sure what (if any) this move could have on domestic brands. Granted, I never knew how they sold ANY Chevy Monte Carlos for all those years until I found out that they raced them in NASCAR. (Hey, I’m a New Yorker, I had never even heard of Dale Jarrett before I caught this interview on the NASCAR site.) But he makes alot of sense. Why has NASCAR been stuck with the “Big Three?” Half of America doesn’t even buy domestic products!

And with that, I’ll sit down and my bowl of Sushi-Cloudberry-Wienerschnitzel Pie.

Toyota is going all out to compete directly with the big three. The redesigned Tundra will make a run at the domestic offerings and attempt to carve out a larger piece of the full size market. The Crew Max is the largest cab Toyota will offer. It offers 44.5 inches of rear legroom which is more than the Dodge Ram Mega Cab. A regular cab and double cab are also available.
Toyota didn’t skimp on power either. A 5.7L I-Force V8 is new this year and features 381 HP and 401 lb ft of torque at 3600 rpm. Those a some big numbers for those that need serious power. Towing? The new Tundra can handle a max of 10,300 lbs. If you don’t need all that power you can still get the 4.7L I-Force or, new this year, a 4.0L V6.

Pricing is not yet available for the new Tundra. It will be interesting to see how aggressive Toyota is on pricing. It looks like Toyota should shake off criticism of their trucks being underpowered and undersized. Will a bigger and more powerful Tundra increase sales? Discuss the new Crew Max in our forums. CarSPIN Crew Max Discussion

The Toyota Prius is about to get a reality check. Chevrolet has just introduced a revolutionary hybrid propulsion system, featured on the Chevrolet Volt concept car. Edmunds Inside Line explained how the system would work:

By its own admission, GM is late to the party on hybrid vehicles. Yet the Volt still manages to turn conventional hybrid thinking on its ear. While current hybrids employ a battery-powered electric motor to supplement or complement a gasoline-powered engine, the Volt runs only on electric power until the battery runs down. Then and only then does the internal-combustion engine kick in.

The Volt has a 160hp electric motor, but don’t think it’s slow - it can scoot to 60mph in just 8.5 seconds. While not groundbreaking, that’s quite an achievement for a hybrid. Beat that, Mr. Prius.

Discuss the Chevrolet Volt in the CarSPIN forums!