More cars and more jobs are coming to Mississippi with Toyota’s latest investment in hybrid vehicles.
The auto giant announced Tuesday it’s investing $912 million, creating 252 new jobs, across five manufacturing plants to increase hybrid capacity and bring hybrid-electric Corolla sedans to its U.S. production lineup. The announcement comes as part of a plan to move some hybrid production from Japan. Toyota Mississippi in Blue Springs is included in the investment and will actually be “the first U.S. plant to assemble the electrified Corollas,” according to a press release.
“Customers are embracing Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, and our U.S. manufacturing teams are gearing up to meet that growing demand,” said Kevin Voelkel, senior vice president of manufacturing operations at Toyota. “Toyota’s philosophy is to build where we sell, and by adding more American jobs and investing across our U.S. footprint, we continue to stay true to that philosophy.”
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Other Toyota plants included in the investment are in West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri.
The Blue Springs plant in Mississippi already represents a $1.3 billion investment and employs 2,400. The investment in hybrid vehicles will make for an extra $125 million being invested into operations and employees at the plant outside Tupelo.
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“Toyota’s $125 million investment is another tremendous win for our state,” Gov. Tate Reeves said. “Mississippi’s manufacturing prowess is unmatched, and our people consistently deliver high-quality products to the marketplace. Thank you to Toyota for its continued commitment to the state.”
The investment in hybrid vehicles is part of a broader goal for Toyota to invest up to $10 billion over five years in U.S. manufacturing. Currently, hybrid, plug-in, and all-electric vehicles account for nearly 50% of the company’s U.S. sales.
