Warm Reception Of GT86 Making Toyota Consider Other Collaborative Efforts

The collaboration between Toyota and Subaru on the GT86/BRZ project has opened the giant Japanese manufacturer’s eyes to the benefits of collaborating with other car makers, according to Toyota’s GT86 development chief, Tetsuya Tada.

Toyota has previously pursued the occasional joint venture, most notably the Aygo/107/C1 city car project with PSA Peugeot-Citroën and a joint manufacturing initiative, now dissolved, with General Motors in the US called NUMMI. But it has traditionally preferred to operate in relative isolation.



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thetruth01 - 6/5/2012 11:31:22 AM

+4 Boost

So Toyota did NUMMI in the 80s, sold Chevys in Tokyo in the 90s, has been doing the Aygo triplets in Europe for several years, and just recently announced engine partnerships with BMW, but Autocar thinks that Toyota just now learned collaboration is good because of the (not yet assured) success of one niche model, a model created with a company in which Toyta owns a substantial stake? Must have been a slow news day.

Agent009 - 6/5/2012 12:54:14 PM

0 Boost

NUMMI isn't a good example and BMW hasn't bore fruit yet.

BUT the GT86, BRZ,and FR-S are fine examples of what cooperation can do.

thetruth01 - 6/5/2012 7:29:45 PM

+2 Boost

NUMMI made great subcompacts for GM at a time when they couldn't build a decent one to save their lives. NUMMI also got Toyota a strong foothold in North America. I'd say it did its job fine for the better part of 2 decades. Now hopefully it can do something new with the....wait for it....collaboration between Toyota and TESLA.
My point is, this isn't news. It's filler. Mfrs all collaborate. And some of Toyota's collaborations in the past have been a lot more groundbreakig than this one, where they partnered with their own (partial) subsidiary.