Toyota plans Mississippi plant

If you drive a Toyota, you might be a redneck.


TUPELO, Miss. - Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it will build a $1.3 billion assembly plant in northeast Mississippi to manufacture its Highlander sport utility vehicle.

Production is set to begin by 2010 and employment is projected at 2,000. The company said it expects to build 150,000 vehicles a year.

The plant will be built on a 1,700 acre site at Blue Springs, land that has been promoted for economic development.

Mississippi was chosen in a competition with Tennessee and Arkansas.

The plant will be the second automaker to locate in the state. Nissan Motor Corp. opened its assembly plant north of Jackson in 2003. The 4,000-employee plant produced about 278,000 vehicles last year.

Gov. Haley Barbour and two Toyota manufacturing executive vice presidents, Gary Convis and Ray Tanguay, announced the project in an auditorium at Tupelo High School.

"Toyota is the world's premiere auto manufacturer and our state will be the best partner the company has," Barbour said in prepared remarks.

Tanguay said several factors led to the decision to build in Mississippi over the other proposed sites.

"On my visit to northern Mississippi, I have talked with area companies and observed their work force," Tanguay said in prepared remarks. "What I observed were people who are educated, ethical and friendly with a strong work ethic — a perfect match for the Toyota way."

Lawmakers told The Associated Press that Barbour will call a special legislative session for Friday to address an incentive plan for Toyota.

The site is about 10 miles northwest of Tupelo.

Toyota's U.S. shares fell $1.52 to $135.51 in morning trading on the
New York Stock Exchange after briefly rising to a 52-week high of $138 earlier in the session.

Hoo freakin' ray.

I wonder what percentage of Toyota cars are made in US vs Japan?

Tanguay said several factors led to the decision to build in Mississippi over the other proposed sites.

"On my visit to northern Mississippi, I have talked with area companies and observed their work force," Tanguay said in prepared remarks. "What I observed were people who are educated, ethical and friendly with a strong work ethic — a perfect match for the Toyota way."

And I'm sure the promised incentives, probably higher than what the other states offered, didn't hurt. :rolleyes: Or is he really saying the good people of Arkansas and Tennessee aren't educated, ethical, friendly or have a strong work ethic? :blah:

Lawmakers told The Associated Press that Barbour will call a special legislative session for Friday to address an incentive plan for Toyota.


That's all you need to know about the plant's location, really.

It's all about tax abatements. Corp.s will build plants where they get the best tax abatements. I live in SE Texas & the refineries & chem plants are always begging fro tax abatements to expand their plants. They usually get 5 - 10 yrs. on the improved or new portions of their plants. Who know what kind of deal Toyota will get.

I wonder what percentage of Toyota cars are made in US vs Japan?

Don't have the exact percentage, but for 2006 Toyota imported more cars than it assembled in the US.

Don't have the exact percentage, but for 2006 Toyota imported more cars than it assembled in the US.

Per the WSJ today; the 2006 North American Production Ratio for Toyota (% of cars manufactured in the U.S. compared to % imported into the U.S.) fell to 54% which is not as good a figure as the've enjoyed in recent years. The new plant will give them about a 65% ratio per the same WSJ article.

I read about that earlier today before I saw this thread - it'll be only about an hour and 10 minutes from my house.:)

Less than a half our drive from where I sit now.

You haven't seen redneck until you meet someone from "Blue Springs," btw. :D

But it will give these people somewhere to work since all the furnature factories are either laying people off (as recently as Thursday), shutting down (last month), or just moving to China (every day).

Hopefully Toyota will want to buy some cardboard from me but I doubt they'll need much in an assembly plant, lol.

The invasion carries on and she carries a rising sun flag...

Sounds like Toyota want to make sure they get all the mileage necessary when it comes to becoming a bigger part of the American landscape. They are playing the public perception game well.

Maybe Miss. wasn't the best choice. The Nissan Quest plant certainly hasn't burned up the quality boards now has it?

Sounds like Toyota want to make sure they get all the mileage necessary when it comes to becoming a bigger part of the American landscape. They are playing the public perception game well.


hell the new Tundra adds say " Assembles in the U.S."
Yes it is but what about "made in the U.S." why not say that??


Toyota is as american as american as apple pie..got us hoodwinked.

It's all about tax abatements. Corp.s will build plants where they get the best tax abatements. I live in SE Texas & the refineries & chem plants are always begging fro tax abatements to expand their plants. They usually get 5 - 10 yrs. on the improved or new portions of their plants. Who know what kind of deal Toyota will get.

100% True! I bet Toyota will get enough tax concessions over several years that would be equal to the cost of building the plant. Not to mention they will benefit from the lower wages in Miss and not have to worry about unions, pension and high heathcare bills. Its like building vehicles for free when you factor in the yen/Dollar figures on the imported components. This is the free market we have today that allows Toyota to put made in the USA in the door jam and smile for pictures with the Miss state gov.

Not to say the domestic brands couldn't but Miss would need to offer free labor and a free plant for GM or Ford to compete.

Its like building vehicles for free when you factor in the yen/Dollar figures on the imported components.

Well certainly not for "free" but....

Just keep reminding yourself...."the playing field IS level.....the playing field IS level....." :lol:

It absolutely amazes me that we have great homegrown automakers and suppliers that are struggling and we can't do anything about it....but we practically beg the overseas competition to build here and give them whatever they want to do so.....

Well certainly not for "free" but....

Just keep reminding yourself...."the playing field IS level.....the playing field IS level....." :lol:

It absolutely amazes me that we have great homegrown automakers and suppliers that are struggling and we can't do anything about it....but we practically beg the overseas competition to build here and give them whatever they want to do so.....

That's the bottom line for me.

I dont care why Toyota is building in my back yard. Im glad they are and thats all I need to know about that.

What I do wonder is Why our American makers keep going overseas to compete Here. And how fair is that, and is there a problem with the system.

The thing that would make me the happiest would be to see Toyota, Honda and Nissan closing plants down and GM and Ford building new ones. That is the way it SHOULD be!

What's wrong with Toyota, they've got it all wrong!..they're supposed to be closing plants and eliminating jobs..:no:
They must not have gotten the Modern "Company Growth" memo...:D
They had better get with the program...;)

The thing that would make me the happiest would be to see Toyota, Honda and Nissan closing plants down and GM and Ford building new ones. That is the way it SHOULD be!
That would be nice. But it can only happen when GM & Ford strart building car & trucks that everyone wants to buy. They need an image makeover to change the public's perception that *** brand cars are better. If/when that happens, you might see more domestic plants opening.

That would be nice. But it can only happen when GM & Ford strart building car & trucks that everyone wants to buy. They need an image makeover to change the public's perception that *** brand cars are better. If/when that happens, you might see more domestic plants opening.

What do you mean, "Everyone wants to buy?"

GM outsells Toyota and Toyota makes big bank while GM loses money.

What would that tell us about GM's cost? :)

What do you mean, "Everyone wants to buy?"

GM outsells Toyota and Toyota makes big bank while GM loses money.

What would that tell us about GM's cost? :)
GM needs more "got to have it" cars. They need to build an "Accord/Camry" that people percive to be the best sedan to buy. People need to be able to say "That Chevy ______ is the best car out there. It's better than Accord or Camry." Either that or they will continue to loose ground to the *** brands.

As it stands now you could take the badgs off any Impala and replace it with a Honda emblem and no one would ever know the difference (edit: except for that 303hp V8 version :D). Couple that with the quality of an Impala and its no secret that Chevy has been making a good foriegn car for a few years.

Which has nothing to do with the playing field being level or not.

But while we're temporarily off topic, I think we need to go back to making American cars. Cars that foriegn companies haven't ever made. Cars that are distinctively American and built to last 300K miles like the competition. But not just a warmed over appliance like an Accord, Camary, or Taurus.

And aparently they are headed that way both in the near future (G8 within a year) and at the end of the decade (or soon after).

But if Toyonda is still importing cheaply built parts for free, assembling them here, and assuring the rest of us that we are all on equal terms, then no amount of automotive passion will surmount making MORE cars and LESS profit.

GM/Ford's biggest problem from percived quality has been interiors. They have paled in quality for yrs. For the common car buyer, interior is probably the most important item for a car. When you are driving a car day in , day out, you're touching cheap plastics. If an interior "feels" nice it is percived as high quality. *** brand interiors (for the most part) have that "feel". My Z does not. But I bought my car for the power, not the "feel".

What do you mean, "Everyone wants to buy?"

GM outsells Toyota and Toyota makes big bank while GM loses money.

What would that tell us about GM's cost? :)
GM needs more "got to have it" cars. They need to build an "Accord/Camry" that people percive to be the best sedan to buy. People need to be able to say "That Chevy ______ is the best car out there. It's better than Accord or Camry." Either that or they will continue to loose ground to the *** brands.

Did you even read what he wrote?

Did you even read what he wrote?
I was thinking of another post. Brain fart.

GM/Ford's biggest problem from percived quality has been interiors. They have paled in quality for yrs. For the common car buyer, interior is probably the most important item for a car. When you are driving a car day in , day out, you're touching cheap plastics. If an interior "feels" nice it is percived as high quality. *** brand interiors (for the most part) have that "feel". My Z does not. But I bought my car for the power, not the "feel".


Saturn Aura..has bested the japan nameplates in quality.
The malibu also will be above quality next year.
Caddy has some of the sharpest interiors comming down the pipe.
the new Chevy Silverado is much better in person than the toyotas that I have seen.

Toyota has money to burn and a warchest to fight anything GM comes up with in a marketing campaign. The "this is our country" Well have you seen the Toyota "were american as you slogans" They beat GM at every corner of how to perceive they have better cars and trucks. GM has to do the same marketing as toyota head to head. show the public in commercials. that GM has a better product. The other thing is they need to do what Ford did with the Fusion. That has got some talk and deffinatly worth the spot on TV.
Its comming about about perceived quality. But trying to undo over 20 years of bad press does not happen overnight.
So to say they have to do this or that.
They are doing it.