An i-Force MAX 2.4-liter engine for an all-new hybrid Tacoma was assembled at Toyota Alabama, marking the Huntsville plant’s 10 millionth engine.
Toyota Alabama first broke ground in 2001 and now assembles a third of all Toyota engines in North America. Its 2,000 team members assemble upwards of 777,000 engines a year.
“We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone and look forward to seeing where the next 10 million engines will take us,” said Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama, said this week.
The plant has been in a constant growth mode since opening, with the latest $282 million expansion announced in June that will add 350 jobs.
“When the plant opened only one production line more than 20 years ago, I was a part of the team that helped start engine production in Alabama,” said Brandon French, senior manager of production at Toyota Alabama. “Since starting on the production line, Toyota has challenged me to learn many different roles.”
Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair said, “Hitting the 10 millionth engine milestone is a testament to the strength and dedication of Toyota Alabama’s team and their significant contribution to our state’s thriving automotive sector.”
Toyota Alabama currently supplies engines to seven Toyota vehicle plans in North America. The engines power the Corolla, Highlander, RAV4, Sequoia, Sienna, Tacoma and Tundra, as well as the Corolla Cross, which is assembled at the Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA plant in Huntsville.
