On Monday, Toyota announced that it will move Tacoma production from its current location across the border in Mexico to San Antonio, Texas. The move will cost the automaker some $3.6 billion – a small fee for Toyota’s best-selling truck.
The shift will add around 2,000 jobs to the San Antonio campus by way of an entirely new second assembly line. It will also see the factory double in size over the next four years.
More assembly line and more employees means one thing: more cars. Toyota estimates the cross-border move will send capacity up from around 200,000 to 350,000 units. The plant will now produce both of Toyota’s domestic truck offerings. The full-size Toyota Tundra has been built at the plant for years now – so much so that special editions commemorate the Tundra’s Texan heritage. Despite the heavy investment in Texas production, this is just 30% of Toyota’s total US investment.
Read the article.