Toyota Georgetown Kentucky Plant Set for $461M Upgrade. Lexus Manufacturing Leaving US

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Toyota today announced a series of changes and projects that transform its Georgetown plant “to meet shifting customer demand, reduce its carbon footprint and advance future capabilities.” According to the Japanese global automotive giant, an investment of $461 million will add advanced manufacturing equipment and technologies, coupled with facility layout improvements, which will increase the plant’s operational speed, flexibility and competitiveness. These improvements will expand TMMK’s ability to produce new products, including future electrification.

Toyota also announced the expansion of Powertrain Capabilities to increase its product mix with a 2.4-liter turbo engine line. The new line will support an expanded range of vehicles produced in North America, further increasing the plant’s flexibility to quickly meet an evolving market.

The plant is changing its employment structure to a direct hire process. Approximately 1,400 variable team members, currently employed through Kelly Services, will be offered a direct Toyota position, along with all new hires. TMMK is among other Toyota plants across the U.S. to implement the change to help improve recruiting efforts, retain top talent and provide a more inclusive work environment it claimed.

TMMK will continue to build the best-selling Camry, Camry Hybrid and RAV4 Hybrid. To help create space for future products and to better align with U.S. market demand, production of the Lexus ES and Lexus ES Hybrid will shift from the facility and consolidate production back to Japan prior to the next major model change, Toyota claimed. TMMK’s transformation began in 2017 with a $1.3 billion investment in its operations – equipping the facility with the Toyota New Global Architecture manufacturing platform and a new paint operation. Once this project is complete by 2025, TMMK’s total investment will be over $8.5 billion.

In 2006, Toyota debuted its first U.S. manufactured hybrid electric vehicle at the Kentucky operation. The most recent electrification milestone announced TMMK’s powertrain plant as the site for assembling fuel cell modules for use in hydrogen-powered, heavy duty commercial trucks starting in 2023.

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