Toyota Took Over A Napalm Factory In Long Beach To Manufacture Truck Beds And Avoid The Chicken Tax

Toyota

The Chicken Tax was nan automotive industry's astir well-known tariff, astatine slightest up until President Donald Trump started senselessly slapping tariffs connected everything. The Chicken Tax started arsenic an actually reciprocal tariff erstwhile Europe imposed an import taxation connected American chickens successful 1963, which caused a 25% nonaccomplishment of business for U.S. chickenhearted exports. In retaliation, nan U.S. authorities added imported trucks to nan database of imported equipment that look a 25% import tariff, which caused nan prices of imported trucks to detonate and go uncompetitive pinch American trucks. In bid to circumvent nan tariff, Toyota took complete a erstwhile napalm mill successful nan port town of Long Beach, California to manufacture beds that could beryllium bolted onto unfinished Hi-Luxes that were imported pinch a cab, engine, and chassis, frankincense qualifying arsenic imported vehicles, not trucks.

Hagerty published a sensational article astir this automotive history factoid, and arsenic a Long Beach autochthonal who ne'er knew this lore, I had to constitute astir it. The original article is very elaborate and I implore you to springiness it a read.

Toyota

The mill that Toyota took complete was occupied by Diamond Plastics successful nan 1960s, and 1 of nan products produced location was nan incendiary gel utilized successful occurrence throwers and firebombs successful nan Vietnam War known arsenic napalm. Handling specified a volatile compound resulted successful 3 reported explosions astatine nan factory, which was located adjacent a neighborhood. Unsurprisingly, nan neighboring residents weren't enthusiastic astir nan accumulation of napalm successful their backmost yard, and they protested against it, but yet Diamond Plastics mislaid its statement astatine nan Atlas Fabricators factory, and Toyota contracted nan installation to nutrient motortruck beds.

Since Toyota imported incomplete vehicles alternatively than trucks, nan rolling cab-and-chassis were only taxable to a 2.5% import taxation alternatively than nan 25% taxation that affected imported trucks. After Atlas Fabricators manufactured nan motortruck beds, Toyota would bolt nan beds onto nan frames, qualifying nan trucks arsenic having their last assembly completed successful nan United States. There were 15 different U.S. suppliers that produced motortruck beds for Toyota by 1972, and by 1974 Toyota took complete Atlas Fabricators and renamed it Long Beach Fabricators, past later renamed to Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA, and yet it renamed nan installation arsenic Toyota Auto Body California since nan installation didn't really manufacture cars, it conscionable fabricated motortruck beds.

Toyota

Toyota Auto Body California is still successful cognition successful Long Beach, California today, and it's nan superior shaper of parts for Toyota Tacomas arsenic good arsenic past-model work parts. It was Toyota's first manufacturing installation successful North America, and it remains nan company's longest-running North American plant. To publication astir moreover much titillating specifications of nan plant's history, read Hagerty's article here.