Toyota Opens Another U.S. Plant
Tim Esterdahl | Dec 07, 2011 | Comments 9
In order to keep up with the demand of the popular Corolla, Toyota has brought a new plant online. Located in Blue Springs, Miss, which is just outside of Tupelo, this is an $800 million investment made by the automaker to keep the world’s best-selling vehicle model of all time rolling off the assembly line. This move is an example of Toyota’s practice to manufacture vehicles where they are commonly sold.
Toyota opens another U.S. plant, this time in Blue Springs, Miss., that will produce the Corrola and employ 2,000 people.
Situated on 1,700 acres of land, the Blue Springs plant has the capacity to produce 150,000 vehicles annually. To keep new Corollas rolling out of this new assembly plant, Toyota will employ roughly 2,000 people to work around the clock. This plant will also rely on components to assemble these Toyotas from other domestic sources.
Keeping in line with Toyota’s American manufacturing operations, the Blue Springs assembly plant will receive its engines from Toyota’s engine assembly plant in Buffalo, W. Va. The cylinder heads and blocks needed for these engines from the Buffalo plant also are produced domestically at both of Toyota’s Bodine Aluminum castings plants, located in Troy, Mo., and Jackson, Tenn.
Along with becoming a newcomer to the area, Toyota has also announced partnership with the CREATE Foundation. This includes a donation of $50 million paid in yearly installments of $5 million over 10 years toward an innovative addition to the public school system in the Pontotoc, Union, and Lee counties.
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Filed Under: Auto News
It great to see Toyota bringing all vehicles of their line to be built here in the US. Now the Big 3 has more worries than before. I guess the saying goes “When the going gets tough, The Big 3 will farm out more to other countries to stay competitive. Imagine that.
Not only that, Mickey, but Toyota’s domestic content rivals (and in many cases beats out) the domestic content of the Detroit 3.
Agree, my 2011 hyundai santa fe and my 2010 tundra were both made in the USA. 100% of my past GM silverados and other GM vehicles were either made in mexico or canada. The time has come and long past to get rid of the myth that the Big 3 supports Americans and employment in the USA. Big 3 does NOT employ any more US citizens than toyota or hyundai, etc,etc.
We’re glad to have Toyota here in Mississippi. We also have a Nissan plant in Canton, MS. We appreciate the jobs. Now we have crops, casinos and cars!We still have chaos, corruption and a few other C words, any body want them?
Mickey – LOL. Toyota still needs to build more vehicles in the USA to suit my tastes, but they’ve finally started to see the light: Building all your products in Japan is bad for business. “Build them where you sell them” will hopefully be Toyota’s new motto.
Brian J – Don’t I know it! 🙂 Too bad so many Ford, GM, and Chrysler-Fiat truck owners don’t know that!!
mk – I think that GM, Chrysler-Fiat, and Ford are all vital to the U.S. economy. But anyone who says that they’re “better” for the U.S. worker than Toyota, Hyundai, Honda, et al. is kidding themselves. Sometimes, a U.S. built car comes with a foreign label, and sometimes a foreign car comes with a domestic lable.
The key, just as you have said, is to buy a car that’s built in the USA.
Danny – I’ll take some of that casino action, LOL.
I think its prolly cheaper to ship the parts here instead of shipping the whole vehicle which can’t be compacted and are prone to damamge. Idk if this is correct but this is my guess
Mario – Mostly, it’s about currency exchange. See this article for more info: https://www.tundraheadquarters.com/blog/2009/12/02/currency-exchange-rates-cars/
The plant received 35,000 applications for 1,300 available spots, hiring mostly locals, with plans to hire more in next coming years. Of course, a spin-off of every new auto plant is the wealth of suppliers who move into the area, producing seat bumpers, plastics, metals and other auto parts that add an estimated 1,000 jobs to the area.
Nice, Toyota chose Mississippi for its dedicated, talented workforce, and I know they will enjoy great success at their newest facility,” said Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. “We are proud to be the home of Toyota, and we look forward to a long and successful relationship with our newest corporate partner.