It was very successful locally. The problem that "killed it" was that GM wanted to expand the model to other plants (Van Nuys was the next) and the same techniques didn't work. Likely because the wrong people were running things in Van Nuys compared to Fremont. Leadership is EVERYTHING when it comes to organizational transitions and problems with that.

According to that story which I’ve listened to before, that partnership had a very specific set of goals, once those goals were achieved or deemed unachievable (as the case may be) the purpose of the plant no longer existed so they shut it down.