Please. Tell Me You're Kidding

Toyota made an unprecedented move today of halting the sale of 2/3 of its product line in the United States, AND also ceasing manufacture of the 8 models, including these that come to mind--Camry, Matrix, Highlander, Corolla, Rav4...
There had been safety recalls a few months ago. Toyota took these unheard of measures out of concern for human safety (and perhaps with more than a little passing concern about...liability..litigation...) until the problem could be found and resolved, the culprit rooted out. Last November, Toyota recalled 4.2 million cars in response to concerns about the pedals becoming stuck because of the floor mats!

Well. According to the PBSNewshour tonight; the culprit's been found. The part's made (they say) by an American supplier, out of Elkhart, Indiana.

sigh.

I wish it had been made somewhere else. We shoot ourselves in the foot! Can you make a good case for bringing manufacturing jobs back to this economy when not only are labor costs less elsewhere, but the quality of the products is typically reliably good? Japanese cars, the highest selling models in the United States, had production and sales ceased due to safety issues caused by an American made product.

So much for American Exceptionalism, eh? ;) Human after all!

Glad to see General Motors stepping up to take advantage--offering incentives to buyers who want to get out of their Japanese car and. buy. an. American. one. As Toyota stock prices plunge, GM's rises....American cars sell...its like the economy's being stimulated or something

HEY-- WAIT A MINUTE...