flipside909

February 27, 2007 - TUPELO, Mississippi - Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour joined Toyota (NYSE: TM) officials today to announce that the company has chosen a 1,700-acre site in Blue Springs, Mississippi to build its eighth North American vehicle assembly plant.

The new plant, to be located just outside of Tupelo, will have the capacity to build 150,000 vehicles annually of Toyota's popular Highlander sport utility vehicle. Production is scheduled to begin by 2010.

The new plant represents a $1.3 billion investment by Toyota and is expected to create approximately 2,000 new jobs for the region and indirectly create work for many more. Operations at the plant will include stamping, body weld, plastics, paint, and assembly.

Governor Barbour, speaking at a news conference held in Tupelo, welcomed Toyota's decision to set up operations in Mississippi.

"We in Mississippi and especially North Mississippi are excited to have been chosen by Toyota as its partner," said Governor Barbour. "Toyota is the world's premiere auto manufacturer and our state will be the best partner the company has."

Toyota manufacturing Executive Vice Presidents, Gary Convis and Ray Tanguay, joined Governor Barbour at the announcement to help deliver the good news to local citizens.

Convis addressed Toyota's challenge in balancing rapid growth while maintaining the company's superior quality standards, noting the recent start up of Tundra production in San Antonio and upcoming launch of Camry production at the Subaru plant in Lafayette, Indiana.

"We are excited for the opportunity to do business in Mississippi and are confident the team members here will have a commitment to perform at the highest possible level," he said. "Governor Barbour and the regional economic development team were very convincing and unrelenting in their efforts to showcase the area's advantages," Convis said, while acknowledging that competition among several states for the new plant was tough.

Tanguay also pointed out several factors that led to Toyota's site selection decision.

"On my visits to Northern Mississippi, I have talked with area companies and observed their workforce," said Tanguay. "What I observed were people who are educated, ethical and friendly with a strong work ethic – a perfect match for the Toyota Way." He added that the area's existing companies had high praise for the workforce. "They were definitely the best sales people."

Convis and Tanguay both recognized the contributions of the team who worked on bringing Toyota's fifth vehicle assembly plant to the U.S., citing the team effort put forth by state and local officials and the private sector.

"The partnership of all of these groups was instrumental to our decision, including the creation of a new rail district to provide competitive rail access for the plant," said Tanguay.

"We're honored that Toyota has chosen to invest in our state and grow with Mississippians," said Trent Lott, Senator of Mississippi. "This is a partnership between one of the world's best companies, and a state which has already proven itself capable of attracting the world's top defense, automotive and aerospace jobs."

Mississippi Senator Thad Cochran and Congressman Roger Wicker also participated in the announcement.

Site preparation and construction for the plant is scheduled to begin later this spring. A majority of the hiring will take place closer to the start of vehicle production.

Outline of Toyota Mississippi

Location Blue Springs, Mississippi (outside of Tupelo)
Plant overview Vehicle production (stamping, body weld, plastics, paint and assembly)
Product Toyota Highlander
Production capacity 150,000 units/year
Site area 1,700 acres
Investment $1.3 billion
Start of production By 2010
Employment 2,000


Toyota currently operates six vehicle assembly plants with one under construction in North America. These include:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK), in Georgetown produces the Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, and Camry Solara.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC), in Cambridge, Ontario produces the Corolla, Matrix and Lexus RX 350.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc. (TMMI), in Princeton produces the Tundra, Sequoia, and Sienna.

• New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI), a joint venture with General Motors in Fremont, California, produces the Corolla and Tacoma and Pontiac Vibe.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California (TMMBC), in Tijuana, Mexico, produces the Tacoma and Tacoma truck beds.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc. (TMMTX), in San Antonio produces the Tundra.

• And beginning in 2008, a new plant in Woodstock, Ontario will produce the RAV4.

Also, Toyota this spring will start producing Camrys at Subaru of Indiana Automotive (SIA) in Lafayette, Indiana.

Additionally, Toyota has four engine plants in North America including:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia, Inc. (TMMWV), in Buffalo produces four-cylinder and V6 engines and automatic transmissions.

• TMMK produces four-cylinder and V6 engines.

• TMMC assembles four-cylinder engines.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc. (TMMAL), produces V6 and V8 engines.

To view the announcement on a live web cast, log on and register at:

http://www.iian.ibeam.com/events/mdlk001/21770

The announcement will also be available via satellite at the following coordinates:

Galaxy 11; Transponder 13K.

Credit: Toyota Motor Sales, USA

PhilipMSPT

iTrader: (5)

The good word is creeping towards Detroit...

I think the Highlander is a perfect vehicle to produce in the U.S. I mean, the car was specifically made for North Americans in mind.

Lexmex

It really is. As I recall reading somewhere, the Highlander (or Kluger as it is known in Japan) was not supposed to come to this part of the world. However, as you state it really is the perfect vehicle.

In Mexico, this vehicle should be and now will be in Toyota's lineup. They had a huge gap between the Rav4 and 4Runner and I remember a friend who works as a sales rep at a Toyota telling me that was a question he was often asked along with when is Lexus coming. Now with a Highlander that has the power to play with competitors, this vehicle will be a welcome addition to the Toyota Mexico family. And good to see it will be made in the NAFTA region shortly.

Cornellian

There'll be building more than just highlander.

TRDFantasy

Yes. Word has it that an as-yet unknown new crossover model will also be built there. "Phase 1" of the plant is supposed to build the Highlander, while "Phase 2" is supposedly dedicated to this new model. Like the Texas plant, this plant likely will have a large amount of room and possibility for expansion.

LexFather

Dear lawd the same people that can't screw in a nut for Nissan in their Mississippi plant are going to apply for jobs at this Toyota plant.

I know Toyota managment is far superior but IMO a TERRIBLE move.

Here is a thread in the year 2012...
"HIghlander Quality the worst of any Toyota ever produced".

TRDFantasy

Nissan's quality issues stem from more than just the Mississippi plant.

rsantiago

I'm not so sure if I can honestly trust Toyota's being build in the USA.

I would rather have my Toyota/Lexus build 100% in Japan.

LexFather

Sir, Toyota's have been built with huge success in America since the 1980s...

flipside909

I think Toyota will succeed in Missisippi. Toyota is very smart in their decisions. I really don't think they will blow billions of dollars in establishing a new plant just in any ordinary place. So far their manufacturing plants are in prime locations of the United States. Growth is the key.

UDel

Unreliable poor quality cars have little to do with lineworkers screwing parts in and assembling cars. It does not really matter who makes the cars or where they are made. It has more to do with design and engineering and how much costs were cut in the design and materials and research of the car why cars can be so unreliable and poorly designed.

Toyota Camry's have been some of the most reliable cars made and have been built in America for a long time but the new model seems to be having alot of problems especially with transmissions. It has nothing to do with the workers but in design and cost cutting as to why the Camry is having all these issues. The ES350 is made in Japan and is having its host of problems and people saying it is not built as well as the previous model. The Infiniti G35 is built in Japan and has been critisized for its poor quality and reliability problems but that has to do with materials used, design tolerances, enginering, etc not the workers putting them together. Their are a bunch of cars made in Japan that are very unreliable and poorly designed and there is also many Japanese cars built in the U.S. that are known for their high quality and reliability.

German cars are some of the most unreliable vehicles made and most consider their auto workers to be very good and well educated. Even though some models are now made in America they still suffer the same problems as their German made counterparts because of poor design and engineering. Same goes with British and Italian cars, never known for quality or reliability besides a few models. It is not just American workers that build poorly designed cars. If you give lineworkers a properly designed and enginered car they will build a very reliable high quality car no matter what country it is. Lineworkers are just often given shoddy poorly engineered cars to build especially when the cost cutters at GM, Ford, and Chrsyler get the final say in the design as to what they want the car to cost to build.

nthach

My parent's 2005 Sienna made in Indiana is doing just fine...

Cornellian

Please feel free to elaborate on this.... I can probably convince you in the other direction since, I work at the Kentucky plant!

TRDFantasy

For the record, the Camry/ES 6 speed issues apparently stem directly from suppliers, and not Toyota. The story is that Toyota gave an American supplier blueprints for the 6 speed, and they didn't make them properly. Then they gave the job to a 2nd American supplier, also which manufactured the transmissions with some problems. Now this isn't 100% confirmed, but some inside Toyota sources told me about this. They also said Toyota was deeply dissapointed with these suppliers, and they are now on their 3rd supplier for the tranny with no apparent problems. Toyota doesn't start building the trannies for the ES/Camry in-house until this year. Using so many outside suppliers is a consequence of Toyota's resources being stretched so thin.

STIG

Both of my Toyotas are Made in Japan (Hilux Surf aka 4 runner and IS350), and I can see the difference btw US build Toyota and Japanese build Toyota.

But Toyota probably has the best QC for the American build foreign car makers.