The Live Indian Entertainment Blog

The recently vacated NUMMI plant in Fremont, CA, will see life again. Tesla and Toyota announced late Thursday they will co-develop a new electric sedan, and use the NUMMI plant to build the car.

Toyota president flew to California for the announcement, where he was joined by, among others, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Toyoda said at the Thursday press conference that his company will investing $50 million in the joint project. Tesla will build its new Model S electric sedan at the plant.

NUMMI, or New United Motor Manufacturing Incorporated, had formerly been a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. Established in 1984, it was shuttered last month after GM pulled out, due to its financial woes.

NUMMI had employed approximately 4,700 workers. As many as 1,000 may return, according to the two companies. Fremont, the state of California, and even Gov. Schwarzenegger fought to keep the NUMMI plant alive, as besides the 4,700 jobs it held businesses nearby would be affected by the closure, but failed.

Tesla had been looking for a site to build the aforementioned forthcoming Model S electric sedan. Prior to the announcement, Downey, CA, in the southern part of the state, had been in the running for the plant, and in fact was only told hours before the NUMMI announcement that it was out of the project.

Downey City Councilman Mario Guerra said, "We feel stunned. We were led to believe that Downey was it."

The Model S is scheduled to go on sale in 2012, and is slated to sell for $49,900, including federal tax credits. It is designed to travel as far as 300 miles on a three- to five-hour charge. Currently, Tesla sells only the $109,000 Roadster, a two-seater electric sports car that is partially built in England as well as California. The Roadster can travel 236 miles on a three-and-a-half hour charge.