Toyota makes $5.2 billion investment in US pickup plant
The factory where the Toyota Tundra pickup and its Sequoia SUV twin are made is set to expand, while welcoming back the smaller Tacoma.
Toyota is making big investments in its US operations, announcing this week its San Antonio, Texas plant will receive a US$3.6 billion (A$5.2 billion) investment to more than double its current size.
The Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas factory currently builds the Tundra pickup and its related Sequoia SUV twin-under-the-skin, with the pair the only two models being made in a plant covering more than 204,000 square metres.
However, the new investment will further increase the size of the facility, with a new assembly line set to open in 2030 and take up more than 232,000 square metres.
Jordan Mulach
It’s here where Toyota will once again build the Tacoma – sized between the HiLux and Tundra – in the US, having previously produced the mid-sized pickup there between 2010 and 2021.
Since the fourth-generation Tacoma launched in 2021, it has been exclusively built in Mexico, both at the Baja plant and at another in Guanajuato. It’s understood only production from the former will be moved, with the latter remaining operational.
The plan to move Tacoma production back to the US comes after US President Donald Trump last year effectively threw out the existing free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada, by placing a 25 per cent tariff on vehicle imports from Mexico.
Jordan Mulach
Both of the Tacoma’s key rivals are solely made in the US, with both the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado rolling down the production line in Michigan and Missouri, respectively.
Ram is also expected to re-enter the segment from 2028, reviving the Dakota nameplate on its own US-made mid-sized pickup.
Sadly, the Tacoma is off the cards for Australia, as the HiLux is too similarly sized, and due to our free trade agreement with Thailand, is more competitively priced.
