Today, Toyota announced an $803 million investment and 1,400
new jobs at the Princeton, Ind., auto-manufacturing plant in preparation to
introduce two all-new, three-row SUVs designed with the active Gen Y American
Family in mind. What's more, only one will bear the Toyota name. The other will
officially introduce the Lexus line to Toyota Indiana.
But, clout and luxury isn't all the investment will bring.
While these new vehicles will be announced at a later date, both will join a
diverse, electrified product portfolio and will help the company get another
step closer to Toyota's global aim towards carbon neutrality by 2050—all this
while furthering its mission of mobility and happiness for all.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana in Princeton, Indiana |
And, the Princeton automaker aims to achieve this goal with
not only the type of vehicles produced but the production process itself.
Toyota Indiana's environmental team has created thousands of metric tons in CO2
savings for the plant and invested over $4 million on CO2 reduction projects
with another $2.7 million committed for the coming year. All of this ladders up
to the products Toyota produces.
"Over the past 20 years, Toyota has led the way with
more electrified vehicles on the road than all automakers combined," said
Ted Ogawa, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America. "This
investment and new vehicle line-up will allow us to continue our work with
electrification, expand our portfolio to around 70 models globally by 2025, and
meet the needs of our customers while we accelerate towards carbon
neutrality."
And, the team is well-positioned to take on this challenge.
With more than 7,000 employees already, the investment will add another 1,400
and cement its ability to take on two new vehicles.
"Selecting Toyota Indiana for this opportunity shows
the confidence Toyota has in our employees to take on new and exciting
challenges," said Leah Curry, TMMI president. "Expanding our Toyota
family by 1,400 is a challenge we are eager to accept. This is a testament to
the strong workforce in the Southwest Indiana region. We're waiting with open
arms to welcome new people and products to the family and can't wait to get
started."
The $803 million investment will be used to prepare the
manufacturing line for the new vehicles, production-employee training, as well
as provide supplier re-tooling at their facilities. Since the first Tundra—the
original TMMI vehicle—rolled off the production line in 1998, Toyota's total
investment in the Princeton site is $6.6 billion. TMMI currently assembles the
all-hybrid Sienna minivan, Highlander/Highlander Hybrid SUV and Sequoia
full-size SUV, and has the capacity to assemble more than 420,000 vehicles
annually.
"Toyota has been an incredible partner to the state of
Indiana for nearly 25 years, and we're thrilled to continue that partnership in
order to drive our economy forward," said Governor Eric J. Holcomb.
"Indiana is proud to be home to the highest concentration of manufacturing
jobs in the nation, while providing a skilled workforce that is contributing to
the success of companies across a variety of industries. I can't thank Toyota
enough for the role they play in the strength of our manufacturing
sector."
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