Toyota has denied it plans to produce the Prius hybrid at the NUMMI plant in California but is preparing to boost production in Japan by adding weekend shifts.
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Bloomberg News had said earlier on Wednesday that Toyota was considering making the Prius at the joint venture US factory after it had indefinitely postponed the start of planned Prius production at a half-built factory in Mississippi.
“We are planning to produce the Prius at the Mississippi plant once the US market recovers, and we are not considering production at NUMMI,” a Toyota spokeswoman told Reuters.
NUMMI, in Fresno, is owned 50-50 by Toyota and GM but most production is for Toyota. GM takes one model, the Pontiac Vibe, but the brand is due to be discontinued next year and some have questioned the factory’s future after GM filed for bankruptcy.
Toyota builds the Prius at its Tsutsumi factory and another plant at affiliate Toyota Auto Body in Japan. The two Japanese plants are building the hybrid at a rate of about 2,300 a day including overtime.
According to Reuters, an executive said earlier this month Toyota was planning to start weekend shifts to meet demand for the Prius. An official at Toyota Auto Body said the Prius now accounts for just under 30% of production at its Fujimatsu factory, adding the plant was considering adding weekend shifts in July.
The third-generation Prius became Japan’s best-selling car after its debut in May, with sales of almost 11,000 cars.
