Construction of Mississippi Toyota plant once again underway

Blue Springs, Mississippi and their Toyota plant relationship is back on again as construction will resume – and bring as many as 2,000 new jobs to the town. Toyota estimates the Blue Springs factory should be up and running by the fall of 2011, reports the Associated Press. This comes after construction was to have been complete and the plant running by 2010, but the onset of the economic recession in 2008 destroyed that timetable.

Article Resource: Mississippi Toyota plant construction resumes by Car Deal Expert

Corolla is the Mississippi Toyota plant’s stock in trade

The original production line that the Mississippi Toyota plant was slated to deal with was the Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle, but now the Blue Springs facility will construct 150,000 Corolla compact cars each year, according to Toyota. Whatever the case, experts predict that this move will go a long way toward repairing Toyota’s image, particularly in North The United States. Considering that they’ve had to recall 9 million cars given that October 2009 due to safety issues, Toyota will take any gains available.

Toyota didn’t make friends with U.S. plant closures

For example, when New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) closed in California after Toyota terminated their agreement with GM, workers staged large-scale protests. Some damage control occurred when Toyota President Akio Toyoda tried allying Toyota with Tesla Motors, but Tesla is still a niche brand, so a lot more had to be done to satisfying the American public.

Gov. Haley Barbour welcomes Toyota back to Blue Springs

Regarding the re-emergence of the Mississippi Toyota plant, Gov. Haley Barbour told the AP:

“We’re delighted but not surprised. We’ve had good reason to keep our faith in them. Through a global economic crisis, Toyota kept its financial commitments to the state and to local schools, proving they’re not just the world’s premier automaker but a valuable community partner as well.”

To Blue Springs (and Mississippi), new jobs are of vital importance, and the Mississippi Toyota plant will deliver. While profits for the automaker remain shaky, this move may be the recovery sign investors are waiting for, indicates the AP.

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Associated Press

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