Chrysler: Jim Press is Not a Liar
Sometimes, the spin is so obvious it speaks for itself. This official post-Press announcement re: the former Toyota current Chrysler exec's claim that the Japanese government funded the development of the Prius— since denied by Toyota– is a perfect case in point. "Chrysler Statement on Hybrid Battery Development: There have been several news reports today concerning statements made by Chrysler LLC Vice Chairman and President Jim Press on battery development for hybrid vehicles. First of all, Press was not speaking negatively of Toyota. In a recent interview, he referenced the close cooperation between the Japanese government and Japanese industry. He said the Japanese government strongly supported R & D (research and development) investment in battery development, and the Prius and other Japanese models benefited from that investment in industry. He cited this as an example of cooperation between government and industry working together on public policy issues. He went on to say that he would like to see similar cooperation in the United States in order to find technological improvements that help give U.S. companies a competitive advantage." I guess that's what goes for an apology in this biz.
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Come on, a little common sense here. Many governments fund scientific research and we benefit from this. It may be as simple as new cold weather clothing designed for the US Army or new batteries for NASA. Many of our universities have students hard at work on new ideas funded by U.S. Government science grants. So, of course, governments indirectly help their industries. Our problem is that the science research budget has been cut because Bush wanted lots of money to go kill Moslems or steal oil or something.
Letter to Jim Press: Mr. Press, If your new employer built the Accord, 3-series or Euro Focus, your company wouldn't need a government handout. None of those cars just listed have hybrid variants (if I recall correctly), but they are all well made, well designed, fairly desirable cars that sell well. Total number of Chrysler products that meet those criteria: 0 Sincerely, A car buyer not looking at any Chrysler products
Folkdancer, if Bush gave your tax money and my tax money to the carmakers, I promise you we'd still see a $50k Volt in 2020. The rest of your post belongs on a political blog.
It could be that Toyota took advantage of tax credits for Prious R&D costs. In that case, there would not have been a check from the Japanese government, but Press could still accurately say the research was government-funded.