Three millionth engine celebrated
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (February 18, 2014) – Please excuse our 1,200 Toyota Alabama team members if they’re a little “revved” up today.
That’s because they celebrated the launch of their second V6 engine line at a ceremony this morning with invited guests, including Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and U.S. Representative Mo Brooks. The ceremony capped off Toyota Alabama’s fifth significant investment since it began operations 11 years ago.
The ceremony also featured the plant’s three millionth engine produced.
“The launch of an additional V6 engine line and production of our three millionth engine are milestones that speak directly to the incredible 1,200 team members at Toyota Alabama,” said Jim Bolte, president of Toyota Alabama. “Our new V6 is particularly monumental because we are now the only Toyota engine plant in the world with four separate production lines.”
“This latest expansion at Toyota is proof that Alabama continues to be a great place for automotive manufacturing companies to be successful,” Governor Bentley said. “Automotive manufacturing is one of the targeted sectors for growth in Accelerate Alabama, and this expansion will provide 125 more good paying jobs for the people of Alabama. I appreciate Toyota’s investment in Alabama, and I am proud that our partnership with the company is stronger today than ever before.”
Toyota Alabama’s total investment will exceed $850 million by July 2015 when its current $150 million machining project is completed. Last year, Toyota Alabama produced more than 540,000 engines, a plant record. Maximum annual engine capacity is nearly 750,000 engines.
The plant is the only Toyota facility globally to produce four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines under one roof; it produces engines for seven North American-built Toyota models: Camry, America’s best-selling passenger car; Highlander; RAV4; Sequoia; Tacoma; Tundra; and Venza.
Over the past 27 months, Toyota North America has announced 11 new investments totaling $2.1 billion into its manufacturing facilities, increasing employment by 4,000.
To commemorate this morning’s milestone event, Toyota Alabama donated $50,000 gift to be split equally by two community non-profit organizations, Harris Home For Children, a Huntsville-based foster care institution, and Nexus Energy’s Alabama Wise Program, a community energy program that empowers Alabama families to take control of their energy costs.
Following the celebration, as one of two model plants for environmental sustainability in North America, invited guests had the opportunity to learn more about the plant’s ongoing commitment to minimize its impact on the environment throughout its operations.
Toyota Alabama’s Major Announcements
| Date | Milestone |
| February 2001 | Toyota announces $220 million investment to build a V8 engine plant. Named Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc. (TMMAL), it will employ 350 and it will mark the first time ever that V8 engines will be produced outside of Japan. |
| June 2001 | Groundbreaking ceremony. |
| April 2003 | Production of V8 engines begins. |
| July 2003 | TMMAL announces a new $20 million investment to expand operations to produce V6 engines. 150 new jobs will be created. |
| July 2004 | Groundbreaking ceremony for V6 engines. |
| September 2004 | TMMAL announces a new $250 million investment to double its size and increase engine capacity. 300 new jobs will be created. |
| May 2005 | Production of V6 engines begins. |
| December 2006 | Production begins on the all-new 5.7 liter V8 engine. |
| January 2008 | 1 millionth engine produced. |
| April 2009 | Jim Bolte named TMMAL’s first American president. |
| August 2009 | TMMAL announces a new $147 million investment to produce four-cylinder engines becoming the only Toyota plant globally to produce 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines. 240 new jobs will be created. |
| September 2011 | Production of 4-cylinder engines begins. TMMAL’s cumulative investment is $637 million and employment reaches more than 1,000. |
| March 2012 | 2 millionth engine produced. |
| May 2012 | TMMAL announces a new $80 million investment to increase V6 engine capacity. 125 new jobs will be created. |
| June 2013 | TMMAL announces a new $150 million investment to boost machining capacity for V6 engines. TMMAL’s cumulative investment tops $850 million and employment is 1,200. |
| January 2014 | Production of expanded V6 engine line begins. |
| February 2014 | 3 millionth engine produced. |
About Toyota
Toyota, the world’s top automaker and creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands. Over the past 50 years, we’ve built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ nearly 40,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships sold more than 2.23 million cars and trucks in 2013 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the country, with a focus on education, safety and the environment. As part of this commitment, we share the company’s extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand their ability to do good. (NYSE:TM)
Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA), headquartered in Erlanger, Ky., is responsible for Toyota’s engineering design, development, R&D and manufacturing activities in North America. TEMA’s Toyota Technical Center (TTC) operates engineering, research and development facilities in Ann Arbor, Mich, including Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC).