Toyota announced on the eve of the US presidential inauguration it had booked another record year of North American vehicle production with 2,124,608 vehicles leaving its assembly plants. Volume was up 4.4% year on year.
Total vehicle production in North America since 1986 (the year Camry output began in Kentucky) has passed 30m. Key drivers of last year's increased production include low fuel prices, continued stability in the overall economy and strong customer demand for trucks and SUVs, the automaker said.
Go deeper with GlobalData
The company broke ground last November for its 15th NAFTA region factory, in Apaseo el Grande, Guanajuato, Mexico. President Trump has already criticised the new plant, scheduled to begin Corolla production – transferred from Canada – in 2019. Toyota has responded by emphasising the numbers of models made, factories operating and people already employed in the US, where it continues to expand.
Toyota produces 13 models, engines and transmissions in North America and directly 44,000 people.
