May 3 2005
Toyota has announced a $120 million expansion of its engine and transmission plant here, boosting employment by 150 to about 1,150.
Beginning in 2007, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia will manufacture 240,000 additional automatic transmissions per year. This will bring the plant’s total automatic transmission capacity to 600,000 units. The fifth expansion here brings Toyota’s total investment in TMMWV to more than $920 million.
Since the plant was first announced back in 1996, employment has nearly quadrupled. TMMWV currently machines and assembles four-cylinder engines for the Toyota Corolla and Matrix; V6 engines for the Toyota Sienna and Lexus RX330; and automatic transmissions for Toyota’s North American-built Camry, Solara, Sienna and Lexus RX330.
In April 2004, TMMWV officials announced an expansion to manufacture automatic transmission gears, slated to begin in 2006.
Toyota currently has five vehicle manufacturing plants and six powertrain and component plants in North America. In addition, two new plants are under construction — in San Antonio, Texas and Jackson, Tennessee.
By 2006, Toyota will have the capacity to build 1.66 million cars and trucks a year and 1.44 million engines in North America. Toyota currently employs over 37,000 people throughout North America. The company’s direct investment is over $16.6 billion with annual parts, materials, goods and services purchased from North American suppliers totaling over $25 billion. Toyota’s North American-produced vehicles include the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, and the Lexus RX 330.
http://www.toyota.co.jp