Four-cylinder engine production begins at Toyota's Alabama plant

(September 29, 2011) HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — State and local officials joined Toyota team members and executives today to mark the start of four-cylinder engine production at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc. (TMMAL). 

The addition of four-cylinder engine production boosts TMMAL's employment to almost 1,000 and total investment to $637 million.

Total annual engine capacity of four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines is now more than 500,000.  TMMAL is the only Toyota plant globally to produce four-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines.

TMMAL-produced four-cylinder engines will go into the all-new 2012 Camry, Highlander, RAV4, Sienna and Venza.  V6 and V8 engines are being produced for the Tundra and Tacoma pick-up trucks and the Sequoia SUV. 

The four-cylinder expansion at TMMAL now allows the facility to supply engines to every Toyota vehicle assembly plant in North America except the new facility in Blue Springs, Miss., which is scheduled to start production this fall.

Both of Toyota's Bodine Aluminum castings plants, located in Troy, Mo., and Jackson, Tenn., have also added capacity to provide cylinder heads and blocks to TMMAL. Combined investment of these two facilities is $25 million and 60 new jobs were created.