Toyota Motor Corp. is considering a major reorganization of its U.S. operations, bringing sales and manufacturing under one powerful executive, in an effort to keep closer tabs on its American business, which traditionally has been Toyota’s biggest source of profit but is now losing money.

The Japanese automaker’s top managers are expected to decide how to structure the U.S. operations this month, say people familiar with the situation. A decision would be formalized in June, at the same time that Toyota will anoint a new president in Japan, Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company’s founder.
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Gov. Jennifer Granholm and lawmakers hope generous tax incentives will help make Michigan the center of efforts to research and manufacture advanced batteries used in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Legislators say the United States today has no large-scale production plant for the lithium-ion battery, the technology General Motors Corp. expects to power its touted Chevrolet Volt. Most battery technology is being developed in Asia.
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Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has announced that the company will review it’s plans for opening a U.S. based manufacturing plant in the first quarter of 2009.

He maintains to a local paper, that it is a very good possibility that the manufacturer might share the same plant that VW is planning on building in the states.

The facility will support the current line up of A4 and Q5 Audis. To learn more about the Q5, please visit www.q5-audi.com.

Stadler also claims that Audi is on track to launch an electric version of their vehicles as soon as 2010, jumping on the bandwagon with other manufacturers.

The company has set a sales target of selling 1.5 million vehicles by 2015. A factory set up in the states seems like a very good strategic solution to make those numbers a reality.

Please visit www.AudiForum.ca to keep up to date on the current events with Audi’s direction.