GM Leaves Japanese Automakers Group ; Will Leave the Nation's Major Automakers Lobby Group

TOKYO July 22, 2003; The AP reported that General Motors Corp., which is reducing its staff in Japan, will leave the nation's major automakers' lobby group in September, a company spokesman said Tuesday.

General Motors, which is based in Detroit, became the first foreign member of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association in 2002 when its Japanese partner Suzuki Motor Corp. began making the Chevrolet Cruze. Suzuki will continue making the Cruze under its own name, rather than under General Motors, said GM spokesman Masaaki Gotsubo.

Production in Japan is necessary to be a JAMA member. Staff reductions also make it hard for the automaker to take part in all JAMA events and meetings, but GM will remain a "friend of JAMA," Gotsubo said.

GM said in May that Suzuki, which is 20 percent owned by GM, will be responsible for manufacturing, importing and distributing Chevrolet products here. The changes underline General Motors' efforts to rely on its partners in the Japanese market.

"While our JAMA status may have changed, GM's deep interest in the development of the nation's automotive industry has not," Raymond Grigg, GM Japan's chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

JAMA members include leading Japanese automakers Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., along with General Motors' Japanese partners Suzuki, Isuzu Motors and Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars.

GM is slashing its work force in Japan by half to about 130 people over the next several months.