New exportsmean greater use of the $4.2B Indiana plant.
Toyota said today announced it would be exporting U.S.-assembled Highlander SUVs to Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. Highlander exports are predicted at ~29,000 units annually. Bob Carter, the head of Toyota in the U.S., made the announcement at the Midwest Automotive Media Association’s annual breakfast during the Chicago Auto Show.
These Highlander SUVs will made at Toyota’s manufacturing plant in Princeton, Indiana that currently employs about 4500 workers. An additional 200 people will be hired by year-end to help meet demand. The Princeton plant also produces the Sequoia full-size SUV and Sienna minivan.
In addition to the new jobs created at the Indiana plant, this project increases opportunities and jobs for Toyota’s North American supply base.
Toyota began exporting U.S.-assembled vehicles in 1988, and now exports U.S.-assembled vehicles to 32 countries around the world. These exports increased in calendar year 2013 to more than 130,000 units – a 5% increase from 2012 and an all-time high for Toyota.
Highlander exports began in late December. Exports to Australia and New Zealand are being shipped from Baltimore, Maryland, while exports to Eastern Europe are being shipped from Brunswick.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
