An automobile plant recently close by Toyota in California will be opening up their doors again for Tesla Motors Corp. Backed by a $50 million investment by Toyota, Tesla will start making electric cars within the year, at the same plant that was shared by a Toyota/GM venture. “By working together with a venture business such as Tesla, Toyota would like to learn from the challenging spirit, quick decision-making and flexibility that Tesla has. Decades ago, Toyota was also born as a venture business,” Toyoda said in a statement.

Restarting the factory is a major achievement for California’s economic development and a rare victory for a state that many business leaders say has become uncompetitive because of more regulations and higher labor costs than other states.

But not everyone is happy. The move is a disappointment for Downey officials who had been in talks with the automaker, hoping the company would set up shop in a closed facility that had once been used to manufacture the space shuttle.

Toyota’s investment in Tesla is particularly important because the electric vehicle company will be competing against better capitalized and larger traditional manufacturers. When an established manufacturer decides to partner with newcomers it will considerably increase the probability of success by giving them manufacturing know-how and access to a distribution network