Durban mayor meeting Toyota after it threatens to leave Durban

[Voicy]

With the huge shift to EVs, I'm guessing they'd rather relocate than invest in major retooling of existing plants in volatile areas.

 

[ToxicBunny]

With the huge shift to EVs, I'm guessing they'd rather relocate than invest in major retooling of existing plants in volatile areas.

They were starting to retool the Durban facility. It has the contract to build the new hybrid Corolla.

 

[R13...]

They were starting to retool the Durban facility. It has the contract to build the new hybrid Corolla.

It is still their plan to build that model here though. So don't think they stopped the retooling. It is easier for them to carry on than shutdown and move production elsewhere.

 

[ToxicBunny]

It is still their plan to build that model here though. So don't think they stopped the retooling. It is easier for them to carry on than shutdown and move production elsewhere.

Oh no questions, but building a hybrid is a step towards complete retooling.

They may not completely retool the local plant if they don't feel there is a long term future here and just stop at the level they've currently gotten to.

 

[JohnStarr]

Yet Toyota have a very well established market in SA. Afaik this is their biggest plant in the southern hemisphere.

While the ship have already sunk, they can still make a lot of money here for the foreseeable future, opposed to taking the alternative gamble of selling up and spending millions of dollars trying to enter a market perhaps dominated by other car manufacturers.

If anything, Toyota is thinking about its long term strategy, which may or may not only realise in the next 10 to 20 years.

They have export contracts to maintain. Don't maintain those, don't make profits = easier to move and still sell cars in RSA.

 

[ToxicBunny]

That will be what 3500 give or take jobs at Prospecton alone nevermind the knockoff effect on all the suppliers and distributors.

Hope the looting and destruction was worth it.

Nah, probably closer to 7000 jobs (Toyota SA employs over 8500 people).
Knock on effects in Prospecton alone would be a good few tens of thousands of jobs.

 

[HS2000]

Indeed, the western cape is also not what it was as little as a few years ago.

Roads are still great but maintenance is not where it used to be.
Vagrants everywhere, the city has clearly lost the ability to control that.
The same with informal settlements.
And ignoring the crime in the western cape is very naive as well.

Yea, I was driving in Edgemead & was shook.

Laaaaakk white people live there, it's DA run & there were still potholes.

It was unacceptable. I was ready to call the manager.

 

[HS2000]

Gotta love the comments about moving to the western cape... Some people's blinkers are just amazing to watch

I was trolling. Im actually not that stupid lol

 

[ToxicBunny]

I was trolling. Im actually not that stupid lol

Maybe not you, but in the multitude of threads about this topic in the last few days there are always a few who pop up with that suggestion and are entirely serious about it .

 

[Baise]

Nah, probably closer to 7000 jobs (Toyota SA employs over 8500 people).
Knock on effects in Prospecton alone would be a good few tens of thousands of jobs.

Yip, last I heard there are something like 1300 Independent Engineering firms and various other service providers linked to Toyota, scattered around the greater Durban area. They probably feed in the region of 150 000 mouths a month - conservatively.