Huntsville’s Toyota Alabama plant to celebrate expansion, production of 3 millionth engine

Toyota’s Huntsville manufacturing facility is celebrating the launch of the factory’s second V6 engine line, along with the invited guests, including Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and U.S. Representative Mo Brooks.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama is also celebrating its fifth significant investment since it began operations 11 years ago. The construction project, which was estimated to cost $80 million when it was announced in 2012, was completed last month. This investment provides 125 new jobs to expand V6 engine production.

 “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.”

 “The 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. The maximum annual engine capacity is nearly 750,000 engines. The plant is the only Toyota facility in the world to produce four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines under one roof.

It produces engines for seven North American-built Toyota models: Camry, the Highlander, the RAV4, the Sequoia, the Tacoma, the Tundra and the Venza.

In honor of this milestone event, Toyota Alabama donated $50,000 gift to be split equally by two community non-profit organization, 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.