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Toyota Working with Tesla on EV Prototype

The announcement made back in May by electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla that it will partner with Toyota for converting the former New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) facility into an EV production hub is taking shape, as Toyota said this week it is already working with the American carmaker on a prototype vehicle.

The car is a precursor of a battery-powered small car planned to be released by Toyota in 2012. No details on the project are available yet, with Toyota only saying it welcomes other parties interested in developing a joint prototype as well.

"We'll see which better meets the needs of consumers. We're taking a multifaceted approach," Akio Toyoda, Toyota's CEO was quoted as saying by MSNBC.

"It's hard for a single company to take on environmental technology all alone because of the need for infrastructure. I think cooperation is going to be increasingly important," Shinichi Sasaki, the company's executive vice president added.

The deal with Tesla previewed in May calls for the Model S electric sedan, as well as other future vehicles, to be built at NUMMI with the help of Toyota. Toyoda said back then that his company is investing $50 million in the joint venture, which will also include the development of an electric vehicle together with Tesla. The joint venture would create, according to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, some 1,000 jobs in the region.

"By partnering with Tesla, my hope is that all Toyota employees will recall that 'venture business spirit' and take on the challenges of the future,"
Toyoda said at the time.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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