The employees of the Toyota Kentucky plant cheered as the first new-generation Toyota Camry rolled off the production line. The facility is Toyota's longest-running vehicle manufacturing center in the United States and the largest in the world.
The first Toyota Camry for the US market rolled off the production line on May 26, 1988. It was, in fact, a prototype previewing the model that was to enter series production. At first, Toyota built the engines at the Amigo plant in Japan and shipped them to Kentucky. Later in 1988, however, an on-site engine plant started operating.
The first-ever ninth-generation Toyota Camry, a model painted in Reservoir Blue, is now ready to drive through the gate of the Kentucky plant and be on its way to its new owner. It is one more chapter in the book of America's best-selling passenger car. The Camry Hybrid starts at $28,855 in the US.
The new-get Camry is powered exclusively by the fifth-generation Toyota Hybrid System. It is the brand's big step towards an all-electric lineup.
Kerry Creech, president of Toyota Kentucky, says that building a new generation of the model in Georgetown, Kentucky, proves the automaker's commitment to providing secure employment, something that it has been offering for the past four decades.
Photo: Toyota
More than 11 million Camry units have rolled off the production line in Kentucky. Over the years, Toyota invested over $10 billion in the plant and local communities. And around 10,000 people have been involved in the manufacturing process.
The first Camry produced at the Kentucky plant came with all the bells and whistles of a new model back in 1988. Thirty-six years and eight generations later, it has the same impact. Today, it comes with upgraded looks, power, and fuel efficiency.
Toyota has recently invested $1.3 billion in the Georgetown facility, trying to boost electrification efforts, taking Toyota's investments in its US manufacturing operations since 2021 to a total of $18.6 billion.
The automaker received congratulations from Governor Andy Beshear, who highlighted its commitment to employees and community as well as its continuous improvement mindset and labeling it as a first-class employer in the state.
The RAV4 crossover starting in 2020 and the Lexus ES sedan since October 2015 also see the light of day at the manufacturing plant in Kentucky. That is where Toyota also builds the 2.5-liter L4 engine. An all-new, three-row electric SUV, specifically designed for the US market, will be manufactured there starting next year.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky is Toyota's largest vehicle manufacturing plant in the world. It can produce 550,000 vehicles and more than 600,000 engines per year. More than 13 million vehicles have been made there since May 1986, when the center started operating. 9,950 people represent its full-time workforce.
Google News