Toyota Motor Corp announced on Monday it will invest $3.6 billion to build a new auto plant in Texas and shift production of its mid-size Tacoma pickup truck from Mexico to the United States. The 2.5-million-square-foot facility will be located on Toyota's San Antonio manufacturing campus and is expected to open by 2030, creating 2,000 jobs.
The automaker will move Tacoma production from its Toyota Manufacturing Baja California plant in Mexico to the Texas facility. However, Toyota will continue producing Tacoma trucks at its Guanajuato plant in Mexico. The San Antonio plant already produces Tundra trucks and SUVs, and a new 500,000-square-foot rear axle plant is set to open in the autumn.
President Donald Trump has pressured automakers to move more production to the United States, implementing tariffs on autos, steel, aluminum, and parts. Toyota has urged Trump to extend the North American free trade deal, which automakers say is critical to integrated production. In 2020, Toyota moved Tacoma production from San Antonio to the Guanajuato plant, alongside the Baja plant that had produced the truck since 2004.
The investment is part of Toyota's plan to invest up to $10 billion more than previously expected domestically in the U.S. through 2030. The expansion will add a second vehicle assembly line and roughly double the size of the plant, increasing its annual capacity from 200,000 to 350,000 units. Toyota emphasized that it remains committed to its operations in Mexico, Canada, and the United States.