NUMMI
| Industry | Automotive industry |
|---|---|
| Fate | Dissolved; Portion of physical plant sold to Tesla Motors |
| Predecessor | Fremont Assembly 1960-1982 |
| Successor | Tesla Factory (physical plant) |
| Founded | 1984 |
| Defunct | 2010 |
| Headquarters | Fremont, California, United States |
| Products | Subcompact cars and trucks |
| Services | Automotive manufacturing |
| Owner | General Motors and Toyota (1984–2010) |
| Website | Archived home page |
New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) was an automobile manufacturing company in Fremont, California, jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota that opened in 1984 and closed in 2010. On October 27, 2010, its former plant reopened as a 100% Tesla Motors-owned production facility, known as the Tesla Factory. The plant is located in the East Industrial area of Fremont between Interstate 880 and Interstate 680.
NUMMI was established at the former General Motors Fremont Assembly site that had been closed two years earlier in 1982 (GM plant since 1962). GM and Toyota reopened the factory as a joint venture in 1984 to manufacture vehicles to be sold under both brands.
GM saw the joint venture as an opportunity to learn about lean manufacturing from the Japanese company, while Toyota gained its first manufacturing base in North America and a chance to implement its production system in an American labor environment, avoiding possible import restrictions. GM employees went to Toyota's Takaoka plant in Japan and improved production at NUMMI,Spring Hill and other sites, particularly after Jack Smith spread the program.
Up to May 2010, NUMMI built an average of 6000 vehicles a week, or nearly eight million cars and trucks since opening in 1984. In 1997, NUMMI produced 357,809 cars and trucks, peaking at 428,633 units in 2006.
GM pulled out of the venture in June 2009 due to its bankruptcy, and several months later Toyota announced plans to pull out by March 2010. The closure was opposed by city officials, including Fremont Mayor Bob Wasserman, who lobbied to keep NUMMI in the city. However, at 9.40am on April 1, 2010, the plant produced its last car, a red Toyota Corolla S believed to be destined for a museum in Japan. Production of Corollas in North America moved to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi's assembly plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada's 'North' assembly plant in Cambridge, Ontario.
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