Toyota will invest USD 1.4 billion in its assembly complex located in Princeton, Indiana. This investment will be used to manufacture a three-row electric vehicle.
The Automotive News site, which reported the news, explains that the gesture will add some 340 jobs to the 7,500 already existing for these installations.
Without having confirmation on what model will be built there, there is still some information circulating, including that which states that it could be a modified version of one of the vehicles that the factory already produces, rather than a new creation.
A spokesperson, however, clarified that it would be a vehicle bearing the Toyota logo and that it would be larger than the three-row electric SUV that the company plans for 2026. Production of this The latter is scheduled to be launched next year at the Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky. The name of this model would already be known, i.e. bZ5X.
Photo: Toyota
The Toyota plant in Princeton, Indiana
Toyota said the $1.4 billion will provide the factory infrastructure to build the electric vehicle in the existing eastern portion of the site, which is currently used to manufacture the Highlander SUV and Sienna minivan.
Indiana plant president Tim Hollander said the new vehicle will be based on a traditional chassis rather than a skateboard-style platform, typical of electric models, where the battery becomes the structure. Above all, it would be built with existing vehicles. He also stated that production capacity will remain the same.
Also, the amounts invested in Indiana will make it possible to add a new assembly line. It will produce modules using lithium-ion batteries supplied by the Toyota battery factory under construction in North Carolina at a cost of 13.9 billion. The battery factory, which will power Toyota and Lexus vehicles in North America, is scheduled to begin operations in 2025.
In addition to the Highlander and Sienna, Toyota’s Indiana plant also makes the Grand Highlander, as well as its cousin, the Lexus TX. Nothing is changing at the moment regarding the manufacturing of these vehicles.
What is interesting to note is that sales of the Grand Highlander caused those of the Highlander to decline. This reality adds weight to reports that the first new three-row electric model will be an electric Highlander.
Several pieces of information remain speculative and we will have to wait before seeing everything that is confirmed, but what is certain is that things will change at Toyota in terms of electrification in the coming years.
