..:: AUTO REPORT AFRICA ::..
Related Articles
Toyota team members conduct the final inspection of a 2014 Highlander on the line
Toyota said on Tuesday that it will add 400 jobs at its plant in Princeton, Indiana investing $600 million to meet the strong and growing demand for the Highlander midsize SUV and modernise the entire plant.
The investment , according to the carmaker, will be used for retooling, new equipment and advanced technologies to make the plant more competitive. The expansion project, which is scheduled to begin in fall 2019 and will add 40,000 Highlanders annually, is part of Toyota’s localisation strategy to build vehicles where they are sold.
The chief executive officer, Toyota Motor North America, Jim Lentz, had announced at the 2017 North American International Auto Show, that the company would, “invest an additional $10 billion in the U.S. over the next five years,” adding “This investment will be used to make the existing plants even more competitive.”
The announcement is believed to be another way of proving Toyota’s commitment to continued U.S. investment. The Princeton, Indiana plant produced over 400,000 vehicles last year, the highest in its 20-year history.
“The Highlander has been a great vehicle for our plant and we are excited to deliver even more of them to our loyal customers,” said Millie Marshall, president of Toyota Indiana. “This is a true testament to our team members and their dedication to producing quality vehicles.”
The third-generation Highlander made its debut at the Indiana plant in 2013 and has continually exceeded customer expectations. The Highlander received the 2017 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recognising good crash protection across the board.
Toyota’s latest announcement came on a day U.S. President Donald Trump met with the Chief Executives Officers of General Motors (GM), Ford Motor Corporation and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) in a bid to push for the creation of more jobs in the automotive sector.The Detroit-based chief executives – Mary T. Barra of General Motors, Mark Fields of Ford Motors and Sergio Marchionne of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles – had met with Trump over breakfast Tuesday morning to discuss issues bordering on the creation of more jobs for the American people in furtherance of the President’s election campaign promises of boosting the economy through job creation.
Prior to his inauguration, Trump had been having a running battle with U.S. auto makers on the need to dump their plans for new investments in Mexico threatening still import tariffs on vehicles brought into the U.S. from Mexico. Ford was forced to jettison its plans for a new $1.6bn Mexico plant because of the threat, deciding instead to splash $700m on its Michigan plant and create over 700 new jobs.
General Motors has been adamant on the threat despite being singled out for stiff penalties by the incoming Trump administration even as it maintained that its plan for Mexico would not in any way affects its U.S. investments. It however promised to announce a $1billion new investments and create no fewer than 1,000 new jobs. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on its part had also promised to pump $1 billion new investment into the economy and create about 2,000 jobs.
Tuesday’s meeting was expected to get a firm commitment from the auto giants on promises made earlier and afford the new president the opportunity to impress on them the need to create more jobs at home rather than taking the jobs abroad.
#AutoReportAfrica #OlaoluOlusina
