Australian PM seeks Toyota talks to save car industry

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Thursday sought talks with Toyota to persuade the Japanese giant to keep its plants open and prevent a collapse of Australia's car manufacturing industry. Abbott acted after US-based General Motors on Wednesday announced its Holden offshoot will cease manufacturing in Australia by 2017 after 65 years, prompting Toyota to warn it too was in peril as unions said the car industry was finished. With Mitsubishi closing its Adelaide plant five years ago and Ford halting vehicle production at its unprofitable Australian operations in 2016, Toyota will be the only company left making cars in the country.