Electric Car Maker Planning to Buy NUMMI

Last year, General Motors announced its decision to walk away from the NUMMI deal and leave Toyota to decide the fate of the joint venture. Just as expected, the Japanese manufacturer decided to shut down the facility, a process that will be completed in 2010. However, it seems like NUMMI will actually live on, as some other investors are currently negotiating a takeover that would actually lead to production of various models.

Such an investor is Aurica Motors LLC, an electric startup that hopes to get involved in the NUMMI saga and use the plant to assemble zero-emission vehicles. The terms of the deal are still undisclosed but a report by Autonews citing Aurica General Manager Matt Pitagora claims his plan is "viable".

“We want to keep the plant open, and we believe we have a very viable plan to do so by manufacturing electric cars,” Pitagora said. “It’s all about keeping the lights on.”

We're almost sure that Aurica Motors doesn't ring any bell to you, so here's a short description of the company. It is based in Santa Clara, California and has only eight employees but still, officials think they can handle the 4,700 employee workforce at the NUMMI plant.

Aurica, an electric car developer, is working on the so-called E-Car, a model that would be priced in between $40,000 and $50,000. However, details on the transaction are yet to be finalized and negotiations are under way. Toyota refused to comment on Aurica's proposal and more information will be provided soon.