The incomplete Mississippi Toyota plant within the town of Blue Springs has been slated for a resumption of construction, a move that should bring 2,000 jobs to the area. The Associated Press reports that Toyota’s estimate is that the plant should be fully operational by the fall of 2011. It had initially been slated for completion in 2010, but the recession that began in 2008 made the economic climate unfavorable.
Corolla is the Mississippi Toyota plant’s stock in trade
The initial production line that the Mississippi Toyota plant was slated to manage was the Toyota Prius hybrid automobile, but now the Blue Springs facility will construct 150,000 Corolla compact cars each year, according to Toyota. Regardless, industry insiders see this as a step within the right direction for Toyota’s image in North The US. The automaker needed something, as a 9 million vehicle safety recall given that October 2009 has severely damaged the automaker’s credibility and profits.
Toyota didn’t make friends with U.S. plant closures
For instance, when New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) closed in California after Toyota terminated their agreement with GM, workers staged large-scale protests. Toyota President Akio Toyoda tried to repair some of the damage by allying Toyota with Tesla Motors within the San Francisco area, but Toyota nevertheless had their work cut out for them.
Blue Springs welcomes Toyota home, says Gov. Barbour
Regarding the re-emergence of the Mississippi Toyota plant, Gov. Haley Barbour told the AP:
“We’re delighted but not surprised. We’ve had good reason to keep our faith in them. Through a global economic crisis, Toyota kept its financial commitments to the state and to local schools, proving they’re not just the world’s premier automaker but a valuable community partner as well.”
Toyota’s value to Blue Springs in terms of Mississippi jobs is clear, as is the overall affect the Mississippi Toyota plant will have on the Mississippi economy. This might be the first positive sign that the Toyota-U.S. relationship is on an upswing, writes the AP.
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Associated Press
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