The Kentucky House is trying to limit electric vehicle purchases by state government agencies in favor of vehicles with internal combustion engines. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
Toyota announced an additional expansion to its manufacturing plant in Georgetown, bringing planned new investment in the Kentucky facility to $1.3 billion, as the Japanese automaker steps up production of electric SUVs for U.S. customers.
The automaker announced last year it was putting $591 million into the Scott County plant’s conversion and retaining 9,000 employees at the facility, which has manufactured millions of cars since 1988.?
A Toyota press release on Tuesday said the increased investment will add another “battery pack assembly line” to the facility with batteries being supplied from a Toyota plant in North Carolina.?
Toyota Kentucky President Kerry Creech in a statement said the increased investment “reflects our commitment to vehicle electrification.”?
“Generations of our team members helped prepare for this opportunity, and we will continue leading the charge into the future by remaining true to who we are as a company and putting our people first for generations to come,” Creech said.?
In a statement, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said he was “grateful” Toyota was continuing to invest in the state.?
In 2021, Ford announced it was investing $5.8 billion to build electric car battery manufacturing plants in Hardin County, though one of the plants’ construction has been delayed due to lower than expected demand for EVs.?
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Liam Niemeyer
Liam covers government and policy in Kentucky and its impacts throughout the Commonwealth for the Kentucky Lantern. He most recently spent four years reporting award-winning stories for WKMS Public Radio in Murray.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
