History
In 2002, Toyota began scouting locations in Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas for a new assembly plant to build the second generation Tundra pickup. [2] After long deliberations including the offer of $227 million in subsidies, a 2,000-acre (8.1 km2) site on the far south side of San Antonio was selected as the location for the new 2,000,000-square-foot (190,000 m2) assembly plant. [3] [4] Toyota broke ground at the new plant site on 17 October 2003. [5] During construction, the project evolved from a simple assembly plant into an automotive production site including several on-site suppliers which shipped directly to the factory. In addition, Toyota announced that production capacity, originally planned for 150,000 units per year, would be expanded to 200,000 units. This increase brought Toyota's investment in the plant to $1.2 billion. Following four years of construction, the first new Tundra pickups rolled off the line in November 2006 during a grand-opening celebration which drew executives, employees and dealers of Toyota from around the country. [6] One Toyota executive went so far as to call the launch of the second-generation Tundra the 'single biggest and most important launch in Toyota's 50-year U.S. history.' [7]
Production
Second-generation Tundra production was initially split between TMMTX in San Antonio and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana near Princeton, Indiana (which had produced the first generation Tundra). [8] The Base Cab (2 door) and Double Cab (2 full doors and 2 small doors) pickups were produced in San Antonio, with additional Double Cab Tundras and all CrewMax pickups produced in Princeton. The Tundra was initially hailed as a revolutionary step forward for Toyota Trucks, winning the Motor Trend Truck of the Year award in 2008; [9] however the vehicle's reputation was marred by a recall of 15,000 units due to a mistake made by a supplier of a rear propeller shaft. [10] This initial problem aside, the 2007 model year Tundra was a success with sales in 2007 almost selling out annual production of 200,000 units. The surge in oil prices driven by the commodity boom in 2008 put significant pressure on sales of the truck, and Toyota sold just under 140,000 Tundras the following year.
As the economic downturn put pressure on the US auto market, combined with the high fuel prices of the mid-2008, vehicle sales tumbled in late 2008 to the extent that Toyota shut down production at TMMTX for a three-month period to reduce inventory of the Tundra pickup. [11]
In late 2008, Toyota announced that all Tundra production would be moved to TMMTX (ending Tundra production in Princeton, Indiana). This announcement effectively preserved the jobs of the 1,850 workers at TMMTX that were threatened by the ongoing financial crisis.
In September 2009, Toyota announced it would be terminating Corolla and Tacoma production at the NUMMI assembly plant, which had been operated as a joint venture with General Motors, who withdrew from the partnership as it entered bankruptcy. [12] This change ultimately proved to benefit TMMTX, as Tacoma production relocated to San Antonio and Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California in Mexico. TMMTX added 1,000 workers to support the production of the Tacoma. [13]
Between 2020 and 2021, Toyota ended production of the Tacoma at TMMTX as production ramped up at its second Mexico plant, Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Guanajuato.
In 2022, TMMTX will begin building the Toyota Sequoia large SUV, which is built on the same frame as the Tundra. [14]
Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 million vehicles per year.
Isuzu Motors Ltd., commonly known as Isuzu, is a Japanese multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Nishi-ku, Yokohama, Japan. Its principal activity is the production, marketing and sale of Isuzu commercial vehicles and diesel engines.
New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) was an American automobile manufacturing company in Fremont, California, jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota that opened in 1984 and closed in 2010.
Toyota Racing Development is the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus and formerly Scion cars. TRD is responsible both for improving street cars for more performance and supporting Toyota's racing interests around the world. TRD produces various tuning products and accessories, including performance suspension components, superchargers, and wheels. TRD parts are available through Toyota dealers, and are also available as accessories on brand-new Toyotas and Scions. Performance parts for Lexus vehicles are now labeled as F-Sport and performance Lexus models are labeled F to distinguish Lexus's F division from TRD.
The Toyota Tacoma is a pickup truck manufactured by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota since 1995. The first-generation Tacoma was classified as a compact pickup. The second generation and third generation models are classified as mid-sized pickups. The Tacoma was Motor Trend's Truck of the Year for 2005.
The Toyota T100 is a full-size pickup truck produced by Toyota between 1992 and 1998. It was developed strictly for the US markets, where larger pickups have a sizable market share.
The Toyota Sequoia is a full-size SUV manufactured by Toyota mainly for the North American market since 2000 for the 2001 model year and derived from the Tundra pickup truck. It is the second largest SUV ever produced under the Toyota brand, after the Japan-exclusive, military-focused Mega Cruiser.
The Toyota Tundra is a pickup truck manufactured in the United States by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota since May 1999. The Tundra was the second full-size pickup to be built by a Japanese manufacturer, but the Tundra was the first full-size pickup from a Japanese manufacturer to be built in North America. The Tundra was nominated for the North American Truck of the Year award and was Motor Trend magazine's Truck of the Year in 2000 and 2008. Initially built in a new Toyota plant in Princeton, Indiana, production was consolidated in 2008 to Toyota's San Antonio, Texas, factory and is the only full-size pickup truck manufactured in Texas.
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) is the operating subsidiary that oversees all operations of the Toyota Motor Corporation in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Its operations include research and development, manufacturing, sales, marketing, after sales and corporate functions, which are controlled by TMNA but sometimes executed by other subsidiaries and holding companies. The company is headquartered in Plano, Texas, with offices in several locations including Georgetown, Kentucky, Ann Arbor, Michigan, Washington, D.C. and New York City.
The Toyota Stout is a light truck produced by the Japanese automaker Toyota from 1954 through 1989. The Stout shared its platform with the Toyota Dyna until 1968, when the Dyna was given its own platform, called the Toyota "U". In Japan, it was sold at Toyota Japanese dealerships called Toyopet Store.
Body-on-frame, also known as ladder frame construction, is a common motor vehicle construction method, whereby a separate body or coach is mounted on a strong and relatively rigid vehicle frame or chassis that carries the powertrain and to which the wheels and their suspension, brakes, and steering are mounted. While this was the original method of building automobiles, body-on-frame construction is now used mainly for heavy trucks, pickups, and predominantly large SUVs.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama (TMMAL) manufactures engines for cars and trucks near Huntsville, Alabama, United States. It is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor North America, itself a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan. Construction of the factory was completed in 2003.
Hino Motors, Ltd., commonly known as Hino, is a Japanese manufacturer of commercial vehicles and diesel engines headquartered in Hino, Tokyo. The company was established in 1942 as a corporate spin-off from previous manufacturers.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California (TMMBC) is a Toyota automobile manufacturing facility located Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico that opened in 2002. The facility currently produces the Toyota Tacoma for the North American market and pickup truck beds. The plant is a 350,000 sq ft (33,000 m2) building on a site of 700 acres that has the capacity to produce 166,000 vehicles per year and employs 2,000 people.
Toyota Auto Body California (TABC) is a manufacturing plant in Long Beach, California, located at 6375 North Paramount Boulevard. Established in 1972, TABC was the first Toyota plant in North America. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor North America, the plant occupies 30 acres (12 ha).
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana (TMMI) is an automobile manufacturing factory located in Gibson County, Indiana, nearly halfway between Princeton and Fort Branch, and mostly in Union Township. It is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor North America, itself a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan. With over 7,000 employees, TMMI is the largest employer in the Evansville Area.
Subaru (スバル) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation, the twenty-first largest automaker by production worldwide in 2017.
As of 2019, the automotive industry in Thailand is the largest in Southeast Asia and the 10th largest in the world. The Thai industry has an annual output of more than two million vehicles, more than countries such as Belgium, Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy, Czech Republic and Turkey.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Guanajuato (TMMGT) is a Toyota automobile manufacturing facility located in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, Mexico that opened in December 2019. The facility currently produces the Toyota Tacoma for the North American market. The plant has the capacity to produce 100,000 vehicles per year and employs 1,764 people.
