HUNTSVILLE, Ala. -
Alabama and Huntsville area leaders joined Toyota officials and
team members today for a celebration marking the production of the
first V6 engine at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama.
TMMAL now employs more
than 500 team members and has the capacity to produce 120,000 V8
and 130,000 V6 engines annually. An expansion underway to increase
V8 production will further boost employment to 800 and total investment
to nearly a half billion dollars by 2006.
TMMAL, which opened
in May 2003, supplies V8 engines for the Tundra full- size pickup
and Sequoia full-size sport utility vehicle produced in Indiana.
The V6 engines will be used for Tacoma pickup trucks made in Fremont,
California and Baja California, Mexico as well as the Tundra. TMMAL
will also provide V8 and V6 engines for a Tundra plant opening next
year in San Antonio, Texas.
As part of the celebration,
Toyota donated $50,000 to Junior Achievement for education programs
and $50,000 to The Land Trust for environmental activities.
"Alabama is fortunate
to have a world-class company like Toyota located here," said Governor
Bob Riley. "It has a great team of dedicated workers who are helping
to propel Alabama's economy forward. The state is proud to be a
partner in the company's continuing success."
Toyota Motor Corporation Executive
Vice President Takeshi Uchiyamada addressed the plant's team members and
thanked them for their talent and work ethic.
"This V6 engine will power
the Toyota Tundra and Toyota Tacoma, named Motor Trend's Truck of the Year
for 2005," he said. "You have, once again, been given a great responsibility
for producing a product very important to our company and you have shown
your ability to respond to the challenge."
By 2008, Toyota will have the
annual capacity to build 1.81 million cars and trucks, 1.44 million engines,
and 600,000 automatic transmissions in North America. The company's direct
employment is 38,000 and direct investment is nearly $16.3 billion with
annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American
suppliers totaling nearly $25 billion. Toyota's North American-produced
vehicles include the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia,
Tacoma, Tundra, and the Lexus RX330.
