Toyota has announced an additional $90 million investment for two of its U.S. manufacturing facilities.
Toyota West Virginia (TMMWV) will receive $73 million, an investment that comes on the heels of the $240 million investment announced last November and will increase hybrid transaxle production capacity to 600,000 units per year. With this funding, TMMWV will also begin assembling an estimated 120,000 rear motor stators per year, a key component in electric motors. Currently, a team of more than 2,000 staff build approximately one million engines and transmissions annually for many of Toyota’s North American-assembled vehicles. With this announcement, Toyota has now invested more than $2 billion in its West Virginia plant.
Toyota Tennessee (TMMTN) will receive $17 million to increase the plant’s capacity to cast hybrid transaxle cases and housings to 1.3 million per year. The almost 400 employees at TMMTN currently produce a million transmission cases and housings and approximately 1.8 million engine blocks per year, parts needed for every Toyota and Lexus vehicle manufactured in North America. The added investment to the plant brings the to-date total investment to $389 million.
“Toyota is moving quickly toward an electrified future, and West Virginia will play a critical role in that journey,” said David Rosier, president of TMMWV. “Our team embraces this challenge, and it’s clear Toyota has faith in our ability and trusts us to take the company to new heights.”
Toyota has committed to offering an electrified option across its entire line-up of both Toyota and Lexus vehicles by 2025. Advancing the production of electrified vehicles and their components, including hybrid transaxles, plays an important part in helping Toyota achieve its goals for carbon neutrality.
“Toyota Tennessee is proud to play an important role in our company’s mission to provide customers with safer, reliable, electrified vehicles that advance a carbon-neutral future,” said Wes Woods, president of TMMTN. “Our highly skilled team is excited to expand production of the hybrid transaxle cases and housings.”
This article courtesy of Russell Thrall III, publisher CollisionWeek. Check out the website at: www.collisionweek.com.