Toyota to build Prius in Mississippi

Ever since GM announced that they were going to close plants that made big SUV’s and restructure the organization to better meet today’s slumping economy others seem to be following suit such as Toyota. Two of Toyota’s gas guzzlers, the Tundra and Sequoia will not be produced for 3 months. That does not mean Toyota will stop making the Tundra or Sequoia. It means production will be at idle for 3 months while Toyota utilizes the Tundra and Sequoia plant to make more Toyota Prius’s. The Prius remains to be the hottest selling and most efficient hybrid that you can buy at a local dealership.

Below is the excerpt from Automotive News further explaining this new strategy that Toyota will attempt. Sounds good? You bet your ass it sounds good! I was put on a year long waiting list to buy a Toyota Prius for my wife. I don’t want to wait that long just like thousands of other consumers. Do you think this is a good move by Toyota?

[source: automotive news]

Toyota Motor Corp. today revealed that it has scrambled its manufacturing plans to produce fewer light trucks and more hybrid cars in the United States.

Toyota said it will build the hot-selling Prius hybrid at its Tupelo, Miss., factory in late 2010, scrubbing a plan to make the next-generation Highlander crossover there.

Instead, the Highlander will be added to Toyota’s underutilized truck plant in Princeton, Ind. Toyota also will suspend all production of Tundra pickups and Sequoia SUVs from Aug. 8 until November.

When production resumes, all Tundra output will be consolidated at the San Antonio plant.

PRESS RELEASE: Toyota to Build Prius in U.S.

Highlander to Indiana; all Tundra to Texas

ERLANGER, Ky., July 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Toyota is responding to changes in consumer demand and improving the production efficiency and stability of its North American operations by adjusting production mix at three plants. The changes include the addition of the Prius hybrid sedan to its North American lineup.

The changes are as follows:

– Prius will be built at a plant under construction in Blue Springs, Miss. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2010. Prius, which will join the Kentucky-built Camry Hybrid as the second Toyota hybrid built in North America, enables Toyota to better respond to increased consumer demand for hybrid vehicles.

– The Highlander mid-size SUV, originally scheduled to be built in Mississippi, will now be manufactured in Princeton, Ind., beginning in Fall 2009.

– Production of the Tundra full-size pick-up truck, currently built in Indiana and Texas, will be consolidated at the San Antonio plant in Spring 2009.

In addition, Toyota will temporarily suspend Tundra and Sequoia production beginning August 8 due to the declining overall market for full size trucks and SUVs. Production is scheduled to resume in early November. Team members at both facilities, as well as the Huntsville, Ala. plant that builds Tundra and Sequoia engines, will continue to be provided work.

“The truck market continues to worsen, so unfortunately we must temporarily suspend production. But this good news about production mix demonstrates our long-term commitment to our North American operations and to our team members, supplier partners, and communities where our plants are located,” said Jim Wiseman, vice president/external affairs for Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America (TEMA). “By using this downturn as an opportunity to develop team members and improve our operations, we hope to emerge even stronger.”

Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 13 manufacturing plants. In addition, new plants are under construction in Ontario and Mississippi. Toyota directly employs over 43,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $21 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota’s annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $30 billion per year. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com