After the natural disasters that crippled its production in 2011, Toyota is pulling ahead with a new plan to make up for the lost ground. This week, the number one Japanese automaker announced that it will increase production of the Highlander mid-size SUV at its Princeton, Indiana plant from late 2013.
From that point on, the Highlander will stop being manufactured in Japan. Instead, it will be made at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Indiana (TMMI), not only for the U.S. market, but also for exports to Russia and Australia where it is also sold. The exception is China, where it is built locally.
Toyota will invest US$400 million to increase annual production of the Highlander by 50,000 units, creating an additional 400 jobs to the existing 4,800 in the process. The hybrid version of its SUV will also be manufactured at TMMI, where the Sequoia full-size SUV and Sienna minivan are also assembled.
“This project allows for better utilization of the Indiana plant and will help Toyota capitalize on the improving North American and global auto market”, said executive vice president of Toyota Engineering & Manufacturing North America Steve St. Angelo.
That’s not all, though as Toyota also announced that it added a second shift at its Mississippi plant (TMMMS) in order to rise production of the Corolla compact car. The TMMMS, which is the company’s 14th U.S. plant, employs 2,000 workers and has an annual capacity of 150,000 units.
“Adding a second shift is a significant milestone for us”, said David Copenhaver, TMMMS’ vice president of administration. “Our team members’ strong work ethic and focus on quality and safety has begun to pay dividends for Corolla customers across North America as we continue production ramp up through spring.”
