Toyota said it would invest $461 million in its Georgetown, Kentucky plant, its largest in the world, for new equipment and to prepare for electrified vehicles. About 1,400 workers employed through outside staffing were moved into direct Toyota jobs. Toyota also said Lexus ES production would move back to Japan. The plant Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky opened in Georgetown in 1988 and has built more than 12 million vehicles, including the Camry and RAV4. In 2021 it had about 9,000 workers, $8.5 billion of total investment and capacity for about 550,000 vehicles and 600,000 engines a year. In 2006 it became Toyota's first US plant to build hybrids. What the money buys The investment adds advanced equipment, makes the plant faster and more flexible, and adds a new 2.4-liter turbo engine line for more vehicles built in North America. The plant was also set to assemble fuel cell modules for hydrogen-powered heavy trucks starting in 2023. Direct hiring The 1,400 workers had been employed through Kelly Services. Moving them onto Toyota's payroll, along with all new hires, raised Toyota's own headcount at the plant by more than 20%. Plant president Susan Elkington said Toyota's most experienced US assembly plant had to transform to meet changing customer needs.
