Toyota says it has successfully completed a major new expansion of its production facility in Zárate, Argentina, to add a thousand more jobs and embark on expanded regional sales of light trucks made at the plant.
When the expansion plan was announced in September 2013, the plant’s capacity was 92,000 units. That has now risen to 140,000 units, with Toyota looking to encourage regional exports of two vehicles made there – the Fortuner (sold locally as the SW4) and the Hilux. Toyota says the addition of 48,000 units worth of capacity has also generated one thousand new jobs, bringing the total employee tally to roughly 5,000.
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“With this expansion, we believe that the new Hilux and SW4 will be able to reach new export destinations in Latin America,” said Daniel Herrero, president of Toyota Argentina. “The results obtained by the Hilux, in our country and throughout the region, make us all proud. During 2016, we will produce our one millionth Hilux in our totally renewed plant.”
The completion of the expansion project was marked by a ceremony attended by the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, in addition to the governor of Buenos Aires Province, María Eugenia Vidal; the Japanese ambassador, Noriteru Fukushima; and other national and local authorities.
Toyota Motor Corporation Executive Vice President Seiichi Sudo also took part in the ceremony. He said: “This project is one of the biggest investments we have made since the global financial crisis in 2008. With this, we are going to export more and more vehicles within Latin America. We hope to continue contributing widely to the development of the automotive industry, communities, and the local economy.”
