[vette6387]

I do not believe that statement. When Toyota and GM were operating the Fremont GM plant (known as NUMMI) we routinely saw daily truckloads of Toyota Pickup frames, and drive train components being trucked down to the plant from Benicia where they were being off-loaded from ships from Japan. The Japanese carmakers don’t build the high dollar content parts of their US vehicles here. NUMMI was two things: A sheet metal stamping, assembly and painting operation for Corollas (and the bastard Pontiac that was a Corolla) and light truck cabs, and two assembly lines building these cars and trucks using mostly components that were made and assembled in Japan. As soon as GM went bankrupt, the NUMMI plant was “handed over” to Toyota, and they closed it because it was a UAW facility.

[truthguy]

I do not believe that statement.

Which statement? You see I've also visited that plant in Fremont, CA and have know those who worked there. Now it's a Tesla Plant, but that won't last long. Tesla is probably not gonna make it. I'm rooting for them but that's another story.

Most but not all of the really good Jobs at Toyota or any Japanese manufacturer are not held by Americans. I know this for a fact. I've worked briefly for a Japanese company (not automotive) and you can only rise to a certain level and above that only Japanese qualify. And this is true EVEN if you can speak Japanese. The vast majority of the jobs at the so called transplants are low tech final assembly. A transplant like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, etc is NOT THE SAME as a US company and anyone who thinks it is, well they are VERY foolish.

[mamelukesabre]

I was told the same thing about steel mills. When the japanese companies started buying up american steel mills, all the top engineering positions were japanese men. no americans allowed.