NAGOYA -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to contract out to Subaru maker Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. the full redesign of an existing model, possibly a sporty subcompact, with the aim of rolling out the remodeled version in two to three years, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun learned Tuesday.
Facing a serious personnel shortage amid rapid business expansion, the world's second-largest automaker has decided to tap the development expertise of Fuji Heavy. Toyota became Fuji Heavy's top shareholder by purchasing a stake from General Motors Corp. in October.
The arrangement will enable Fuji Heavy to make use of excess development capacity created by the termination of its partnership with GM, its previous top shareholder.
The vehicle to be remodeled by Fuji Heavy has yet to be determined, but a sporty subcompact -- a type of vehicle in which the automaker boasts expertise -- is seen as a likely candidate. The restyled car may feature characteristics distinguishably different from those of Toyota-developed vehicles, given Fuji Heavy's proprietary technologies in horizontally opposed engines and four-wheel-drive systems. The remodeled car will be made at a Toyota factory and put on the market in two to three years.
The redesign deal signals that the two automakers are planning to forge a tight partnership. Toyota already has plans to outsource a portion of production to a U.S. plant of Fuji Heavy starting as early as 2007, as they seek to "tap each other's development and production expertise," in the words of Toyota Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kino****a.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113148902329091528.html
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