Toyota Highlander production commences in Indiana
2008 Toyota Highlander Sport – click above image for hi-res image gallery
The 2010 Highlander is now officially Toyota's 12th North American-built vehicle, with the midsized crossover rolling down the line at the Japanese automaker's Princeton, Indiana plant. Toyota has also streamlined its worldwide production in the process, as building the Highlander here in the States helps keep its West Virginia engine plant busy while Toyota's 250 suppliers increase production. Toyota says the addition of the Highlander to the Indiana plant also adds security to the 4,200 employees earning solid wages at the facility, and it notes that the company didn't lay off any hourly workers when production was slowed due to the economic downturn and plant retooling.
Bringing the Highlander to Indiana was made possible when Toyota consolidated production of the Tundra pickup from Indiana down to the purpose-built truck factory in Texas. At one time, the Highlander was scheduled to be built at Toyota's Mississippi plant, a facility that was never completed due in part to Toyota's lagging sales. The world's largest automaker by volume decided that it would be better to utilize the capacity that it already had in the States and abroad, and bolting together the Highlander in Indiana was a big part of that decision. The Highlander will be built alongside the Sienna minivan and the Sequoia SUV. Hit the jump to read over the Toyota press release.
Gallery: Review: 2008 Toyota Highlander Sport
[Source: Toyota]
PRESS RELEASE:
PRINCETON, Ind. (October 8, 2009) – Production of the Highlander sport utility vehicle, Toyota's 12th North American-built model, began today at the company's plant in Princeton, Indiana. The $450 million investment is part of the adjustments Toyota began last year in order to better utilize manufacturing capacity.
Production of the Tundra pickup, originally in Indiana, was consolidated last fall in the Tundra plant in Texas. Since then Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI), which also builds the Sienna and Sequoia, has been preparing for the Highlander.
"Highlander production gives us better use of our capacity and demonstrates our continued commitment to the U.S. and the state of Indiana," said Wil James, TMMI senior vice president.
TMMI reacted to several months of slow production by retaining all of its 4,200 team members, who were further trained and improved manufacturing processes.
"The result is long-term sustainability of this factory, which is important to our customers, team members, suppliers and the local community," James said.
TMMI now represents a $3.7 billion investment. The addition of Highlander boosts production at other Toyota plants such as West Virginia, where the 6-cylinder engine is made, and at nearly 250 of Toyota's North American suppliers.
In Indiana alone, Highlander parts and components including items such as steel, brake parts and interior component assemblies will be provided by about 30 Tier 1 suppliers.
Since it was introduced in 2000, more than 1 million Highlanders have been sold in the U.S. The Highlander is available in Base, Sport and Limited grades in both two-wheel and full-time four-wheel-drive models. Features include: hill assist, Smart Key, flexible second row seating and a separate glass hatch.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 14 manufacturing plants. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.5 million vehicles in 2008. Toyota directly employs nearly 41,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 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 nearly $25 billion.
Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sienna, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350.
For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Leclerc 2:08PM (10/10/2009)
What??? What??? But, uhh, but, it's, it's just another bland appliance foreign made piece of crap right guys? Let's here from our fanboys.
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merlot066 2:22PM (10/10/2009)
Where do you idiots come from? The Highlander sucks. Props to Toyota for building it in America, but it really isn't anywhere near the best in it's class.
merlot066 2:22PM (10/10/2009)
And by the way, what the hell do you call yourslef? You're a fanboy too... oh wait you're what we call a TROLL.
Geo 4:38PM (10/10/2009)
i admire @Merlot066 !
people like him/her are the reason the world laughs at US and its retarded car-manufacturing companies.
What is the best in its Class Merlot? Can you enlighten us here? Why is it always Domestic vs foreign? Toyota, Honda, Nissan, the Koreans, they all are OPENING plans in US... while the Domestics are closing plants in US and opening plans abroad! SO when Toyota opens a plant to produce a vehicle which will be sold not only in US - again, this is a bland vehicle. When GM or Chrysler close a plant, oohh, too bad for the workers.
How about the fact that we see more and more of the new highlanders, not mentioning the old model .. compared to the others in their class?
Enough with that hatred against Toyota, Honda and the Japanese car companies in general ...
Up here, in Colorado, most of the cars are the ones that you hate.... i am not going to explain why ...
Jimbo 5:28PM (10/10/2009)
Geo: I'm gonna actually agree with Merlot on this one. The Highlander is bland and not the best in its class. It may sell very well, but selling well != best in class. The Honda CR-V is fugly, doesn't offer the most room, best mileage, most power, lowest price, etc. but it sells well. There's no such thing as a best in class vehicle; it's quite rare for one vehicle to better every competitor in every metric.
Merlot made no statements whatsoever about Domestic vs Foreign; no comments about Toyota et al opening plants in the U.S. while GM close plants and move abroad; nothing at all about the workers. All of those statements you either inferred from elsewhere or made up. That low-oxygen mountain air must be getting to you.
Dan 5:48PM (10/10/2009)
That inoffensive 'bland' factor is exactly what puts the Highlander at the top of its class.
Ditto the Camry and the CR-V.
Transportation appliances don't appeal to car enthusiasts, more on this breaking story at 11.
the4thheat 6:21PM (10/10/2009)
The Highlander is definitely at the top of it's class-it's competitors are vehicles like the Jeep Liberty for chrissakes. And it's larger than the CR-V so they're not quite in the same class either.
Jimbo 6:30PM (10/10/2009)
Dan: If inoffensive blandness is what qualifies a product to be best in class, Daewoo would have never went bankrupt. You are correct that most people buy "appliances" However, appliances are usually purchased based on brand name. People buy a Honda or Toyota because they've had (or heard elsewhere) that Honda and Toyota make good, reliable vehicles that you don't have to think about. Toyota and Honda succeed because they consistently deliver on what people expect from Toyota and Honda. And let's face it: Chrysler has been delivering exactly what people expect of Chrysler lately.
It has nothing to do with bland styling. Toyota could make the next Camry look like the late 90s Taurus and it would still sell like hotcakes because it's a Toyota. The late 90s Taurus didn't fail JUST because of the styling; it failed because it sucked. Look at the current CR-V: it's not bland (I think it's hideous) but it delivers on what people expect from Honda.
The only way for a company to overcome its reputation is to spend years or decades building it (like Honda and Toyota did) or with knockout styling and features. Styling is highly subjective and fickle so it is not the best way to build up your brand. Offering a lot of features just leaves more things that can break. Consistent reliability over a long period of time is the only way to ensure long-term success and unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view) there are no shortcuts. Ford has come a long way on that front over the last 3-4 years but it needs to keep it up and not rest on their laurels. Styling and features get people in the door, reliability keeps them coming back.
Jimbo 6:40PM (10/10/2009)
the4thheat: The Highlander does NOT compete with the Liberty. The Highlander is a 7-seat CUV that competes with the Pilot, Traverse, CX-9, Journey, and Flex. Of those, all but the Journey are better than the Highlander.
Luis 12:16AM (10/11/2009)
Leclerc - right on.
Jimbo: Daewoo made crap - bland crap...but crap. That's why they are gone.
Jimbo 1:11AM (10/11/2009)
Ladies and gentlemen, let's give Luis a round of applause for completely missing the point. Let me dumb this down a bit for you. I never said that Daewoos were good cars. They were downright awful. I simply said that they were stylistically bland. According to Dan, bland = top of the class. I was pointing out how false that statement is because if bland styling was all that mattered, Daewoo would still be selling their bland, crappy cars.
Dan 12:57AM (10/12/2009)
A piece of crap car is anything but bland. It reminds you how much of a piece of crap it is every time you touch the controls, or take it over a bump, or take it in to be repaired.
The successful kind of bland is inoffensive and that runs deeper than sheetmetal.
Jimbo 2:21PM (10/10/2009)
The Toyota Mississippi was delayed but it is still scheduled to be completed next year. It will be building the Prius (and possibly other hybrids like the Lexus HS).
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High 2:58PM (10/10/2009)
At least someone cares about our American jobs. While we ship them out, they ship them in. How ironic.
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fixitfixitstop 9:35PM (10/10/2009)
It's not about caring. If it was cheaper to build these in Japan, Toyota would. They can't, so they build them in the US.
jpm100 5:43AM (10/12/2009)
"TMMI reacted to several months of slow production by retaining all of its 4,200 team members, who were further trained and improved manufacturing processes. "
"Production of the Tundra pickup, originally in Indiana, was consolidated last fall in the Tundra plant in Texas. Since then Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI), which also builds the Sienna and Sequoia, has been preparing for the Highlander."
No new jobs were created and no new facility was created.
click_playaz 3:15PM (10/10/2009)
American vehicles are built in Canada and Mexico, Foreign vehicle are built in The US? I guess people got job cus of those foreigners, not GM or Ford.
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mikhalian 3:50PM (10/10/2009)
I believe it's to avoid the import tariff. Just saying.
Btw, why does the body sculpting on this suv make me think of my old corolla?
Is it really that bland?
JF 3:28PM (10/10/2009)
High and click_playaz,
Right, because all Toyotas are made in the US and all GM's are made in Mexico.
So Toyota makes more cars in the U.S. than GM or Ford? For some reason I have trouble believing that, until I see some numbers that is.
click_playaz 3:47PM (10/10/2009)
I didn't say specific to Toyota, but all foreign companies.