Jim Press and Chrysler clarify hybrid subsidy comments

Jim Press and Chrysler clarify hybrid subsidy comments

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Government/Legal, Chrysler, Toyota
Jim Press has found that his comments have landed him somewhere between a rock and a hard place, with his current position at Chrysler on the one hand and his former employers at Toyota on the other. In an interview with BusinessWeek, Press claimed that the Japanese government had directly subsidized the development of the Prius hybrid. Toyota spokesmen were quick to refute Press' comments, pointing out that their former executive had given statements directly to the contrary in the past, including testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Chrysler, in turn, has now issued a statement clarifying its president's remarks. A release posted on the company's Firehouse media blog claims that Press was "not speaking negatively of Toyota." The Japanese auto giant would clearly disagree, but the statement goes on to clarify that Press' comments were intended to highlight the need for closer cooperation between Washington and the Big 3, along the lines of the relationship which Press claimed exists between Japanese government and industry. Hardly a reversal of position, and somehow we doubt this will be the end of the row.

For more details, follow the link to BusinessWeek's follow-up article and read Chrysler's statement in full after the jump.

[Source: Chrysler and BusinessWeek]Continue reading Jim Press and Chrysler clarify hybrid subsidy comments

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