Toyota Motor to invest $90m in US to boost hybrid transaxle and engine capacity

Toyota Motor North America said that it will invest a further $90 million in the Toyota West Virginia (TMMWV) and Toyota Tennessee (TMMTN) manufacturing facilities to ramp up hybrid transaxle and engine capacity.

The investment will help in further growing the production of electrified vehicles, said Toyota Motor North America.

Toyota West Virginia will get a funding of $73 million to boost its hybrid transaxle production capacity to 600,000 units per annum. It follows the investment announcement of $240 million made last November towards adding an exclusive production line of hybrid transaxles.

With the latest funding, Toyota West Virginia will also start assembling a projected 120,000 rear motor stators per annum. Rear motor stator is a major component in electric motors.

Presently, over 2,000 people at the Toyota manufacturing factory in West Virginia build nearly a million engines and transmissions each year for several of Toyota’s assembled vehicles in North America. Following the latest announcement, Toyota Motor has invested over $2 billion in its West Virginia automobile plant.

David Rosier — president of Toyota West Virginia said: “Toyota is moving quickly toward an electrified future, and West Virginia will play a critical role in that journey.

“Our team embraces this challenge, and it’s clear Toyota has faith in our ability and trusts us to take the company to new heights.”

Toyota Motor to invest $90m in Toyota West Virginia and Toyota Tennessee plants to boost their hybrid transaxle and engine capacity. Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor North America.

On the other hand, the Toyota Tennessee manufacturing plant will see an investment of $17 million for increasing its capacity to cast hybrid transaxle cases and housings to 1.3 million per annum.

Currently, the plant’s approximately 400 employees produce a million transmission cases and housings and nearly 1.8 million engine blocks annually. The transmission cases and housings are parts required for all the Toyota and Lexus vehicles manufactured in North America.

With the new investment, Toyota Motor would have invested a total of $389 million in the Toyota Tennessee automobile plant.

Wes Woods — president of Toyota Tennessee said: “Toyota Tennessee is proud to play an important role in our company’s mission to provide customers with safer, reliable, electrified vehicles that advance a carbon-neutral future.

“Our highly skilled team is excited to expand production of the hybrid transaxle cases and housings.”

Toyota Motor has pledged to offer an electrified option across its entire line up of Toyota and Lexus vehicles by the year 2025. The automobile giant said that advancing the production of electrified vehicles as well as their components such as hybrid transaxles, plays a key role in helping it meet its goals for carbon neutrality.