Prius production heading to Mississippi, Tundra to Texas

Prius production heading to Mississippi, Tundra to Texas

Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossovers/CUVs, Toyota



Toyota's got some changes and rearranges underway with its North American facilities to better serve the demands of the market. The biggest news is that Prius production will be coming Stateside, which will help unkink the supply pipeline, if not also lower costs. A new facility in Blue Springs, Mississippi is being readied for the battery-pack-mobile, though the location was initially meant to turn out Highlanders. With consumer desires shifting with the rise of fuel prices, cranking out more Priuses is a higher priority, and beginning in fall 2009, the Highlander will shuffle off to Princeton, Indiana. With the Highlander elbowing its way into the Princeton plant, the vehicle currently produced there, the Tundra, will see its production move under a single roof in San Antonio, Texas.

The big-truck moves are of little consequence when the plants are scheduled to be idled beginning August 8th due to lack of demand. Huntsville, Alabama will also hold up on cranking out V8 engines. While Toyota is putting some plants in neutral, it pledges to provide employment to affected team members during the shutdown. All of this shuffling is an attempt by Toyota to avoid sustaining humongous hits as the market for new cars takes a dump, as well as ensuring that the products it remains building match up with consumer desires. Always a good thing to make the things people want.

[Source: Toyota/Open Road]


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I hope they don't screw up with the build quality. I wish since the economy's bad, people would take some time to making better things. If they quality of American made cars become better than Japan, that would be interesting..

we've heard nada about this down here. Oddly enough, there are no new postings for wellspring site at all.

Quality shouldn't be an issue. The Wellspring site is in an area of Mississippi with a very strong manufacturing workforce. It's part of the reason they were awarded teh plant. Most of these folks have had their jobs outsourced, and are very willing to bust ass to keep a good paying job. Mississippi is an 'at will' state. That means your employer needs no reason at all to can you. Giving them a reason by being lax on the job is like filling out your own pinkslip.

the tundra has been in texas....

Only time will tell. But I'm glad that more jobs are available because of this.

the new tundras all say made in texas....

They finally made the announcement here on the news last night. BTW, that plant is freakin huge...and smack in the middle of nowhere, lol.


I'm keeping an eye on job postings for skilled positions. This would give us an excuse to move the hell out of the pit of despair that is Memphis.