Toyota’s looking to grow in the Lone Star State with a $2 billion plant expansion the company’s dubbed “Project Orca.”
The project came to light after Automotive News came across filings with the state’s comptroller to expand its current plant in San Antonio. According to filings with the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts, the Japanese automaker plans to invest $1.05 billion in buildings and other property improvements and an additional $950 million in machines and equipment.The company hasn’t revealed what the new assembly line will build at the San Antonio plant, which current produces the Tundra full-size pickup and Sequoia full-size SUV. Construction is set to begin before the end of the year with vehicles rolling off the new production line sometime in 2030. Toyota expects to add up to 2,000 new jobs between 2028 and 2030.“Our production philosophy is to build where we sell and buy where we build. We regularly evaluate our manufacturing footprint to ensure we remain competitive and aligned with customer demand,” officials told Automotive News in a statement.
“This reflects our long-term commitment of investing in the North American region, local manufacturing/jobs, and suppliers. We have nothing further to announce at this time.”The current plant is more than 2.2 million square feet and employs about 3,700 people. Toyota officials didn’t offer any real clues about what kind of vehicle will roll off the line starting in 2030, but it has been suggesting more production is needed for a new vehicle, specifically a small pickup to compete with the Ford Maverick. Toyota announced plans to invest $10 billion in the U.S. during the next five years. The company already announced plans to invest $1 billion at its plants in Indiana and Kentucky. [Images: Toyota]Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
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Author: Michael Strong
