So I live in a town about 30 minutes from San Antonio, TX. Recently, a brand-spanking-new 2,000 acre Toyota plant opened up there, creating thousands of jobs, complete with on-site benefits, even more jobs set up to cater to the new workers, and new housing facilities in the area.
Basically the new plant has been an enormous boon to the economy and the general well-being of San Antonio and its surrounding areas. But San Antonians aren't the only ones benefitting from this plant! shareholders are enjoying a significant increase in their investments.
Even better than this (if, like me, you don't own Toyota stock) is the fact that the plant will make the new Tundra even more accessible to the general public, creating loads more competition with domestic truck companies suck as Ford, Dodge, and Chevy. This brings prices down and increases research into greater fuel economy. So in the long run, pretty much everyone benefits, I'd say.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
It's good to see more jobs created for any town. And I respect that you didn't burn the American manufacturers for closing plants--everyone always blows that way out of proportion.
On a general note, I'd have to recommend that Toyota spend that fuel economy research money on the new, "ugly," too-large, under-cooked, over-hyped, over-priced and gas-guzzling Tundra. They thought they would create competition, but they've already lost right out of the gate. Car magazines have docked the Tundra several times (to GM's trucks, of course). Yes, it will remain on the market (people bought the old Tundra), but I don't see it taking too much of the market away from Ford and GM...