News

Toyota restarts Mississippi operations, adds 2,000 jobs

June 17, 2010 – Toyota will resume construction of its partially completed plant in Blue Springs, Miss. The company suspended work on the plant in late 2008 after the U.S. economy declined sharply, saying that it would halt progress on the site until it felt demand was recovering.

Toyota began building its 10th U.S. production facility on the 1,700-acre Megasite near Tupelo in February 2007. The Megasite was certified by McCallum Sweeney Consulting as part of TVA’s large industrial property certification program.

When fully operational the plant will provide 2,000 jobs. Originally scheduled to open in 2010, it has a new start date of fall 2011. Toyota says it will make 150,000 Corolla models there a year, a change from earlier plans to produce the Highlander SUV or Prius at the facility. The Corolla is one of the best-selling vehicles of all time.

“This is exciting news for Mississippi and the Tennessee Valley region as Toyota and related supplier companies add new jobs and make investments to benefit the regional economy,” said TVA Economic Development Senior Vice President John Bradley. “It shows once again that the Valley is a great place to do business."

Read the Toyota news release.