More Toyota jobs, this time in Alabama

One thing that has always irked me especially ever since adorning the Toyota emblem across my chest is the whole buy American ideology.  It’s not that I’m against buying American even, but rather I dislike how it is sent towards Toyota vehicles, because the truth of the matter is that Toyota is and has been for a long while one of the most predominant American-made vehicles in the automotive industry.  In fact, this is a big part of why Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT is so proud of every Toyota Camry we sell to our Burlington area customers, because the Toyota Camry is actually the Most American Car based on its production location, percentage of American made parts, and sheer quantity on our roads.  Take that so-called domestics.

In all seriousness I get it:  Toyota is “made” in Japan, therefore it is not a domestic.  But regardless of all the previous information, one thing is abundantly clear:  Toyota Motors USA cares about US jobs.  Literally thousands of people from across our great nation are employed by Toyota, and for that we at Handy Toyota of St. Albans, VT salute you big-T.  And today we are happy to report that Alabama has just had a new I4 engine facility opened as part of the $147 million Toyota has recently dumped into US jobs.

How many jobs, you ask?  Try a grand total of 240, which isn’t half bad.  Am I stating that Toyota’s engine plant in Alabama is going to cure the job woes of this country?  Of course not.  But between this plant and the few that opened previously, I once again tip my hat to Toyota for putting a dent in that seemingly unwavering unemployment number.

The new Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama plant is actually expanding in a sense, as the new I4 engine facility is an extension of a plant that’s been in operation for over 10 years.  This new I4 engine, used in such vehicles as the Toyota Rav4, will help the Canadian effort to push out Rav4s and the upcoming Rav4 EV, the all-electric variant that is soon to release.

Said Alabama Governor Robert Bentley:

“Now, ten years [after Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama's (TMMAL) opening, we have] made a major economic impact in this region.  TMMAL is an enduring, reliable and dedicated partner in building healthy communities in Alabama which can, in turn, strengthen our nation and our world.” -Toyota In The News, “Toyota Kicks Off I4 Engine Production In Alabama.”  toyotainthenews.com, October 13, 2011.

Finally, take a look at what these new 240 jobs will have a part in building.  Who knows… maybe they’ll be building your next engine.

• Toyota’s I4 or 4-cylinder engines produced at the TMMAL factory:

Toyota Camry

1. Toyota Camry
2. Toyota Highlander
3. Toyota Rav4
4. Toyota Sienna
5. Toyota Venza
• Toyota’s V6 and V8 engines produced at the TMMLA factory:
1. Toyota Tundra
2. Toyota Tacoma
3. Toyota Sequoia

Chris Dugan
Handy Toyota
St. Albans, VT  05478

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Toyota, Honda Lead Increase in Japan’s Vehicle sales

Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) – Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co., Japan’s two largest automakers, led the second straight increase in the nation’s monthly auto sales as government incentives boosted demand.

Sales of cars, trucks and buses, excluding minicars, rose 3.5 percent to 321,737 in September from a year earlier, the Japan Automobile Dealers Association said in a statement today. Toyota, the world’s biggest carmaker, sold 139,775 units excluding Lexus-brand cars, up 9.4 percent.

Auto sales in Japan reversed a yearlong slide in August, rising 2.3 percent, as government subsidies and tax cuts helped lift demand for Toyota’s new Prius and Honda’s Insight gasoline- electric hybrid cars. For September, Honda posted a 15 percent gain while  Nissan Motor Co., the nation’s third-largest automaker, sold 3.7 percent more vehicles.

“Japan’s sales will likely keep rising thanks to the incentives, until the program ends in March,” said Yoshiaki Kawano, a Tokyo-based analyst at auto consulting company CSM Worldwide. “Toward year-end, we may see double-digit growth.”

Under the government program started June 19, consumers can apply for a 250,000 yen ($2,800) subsidy if they scrap a car more than 13 years old to buy a new one, and 100,000 yen for a new car purchased without scrapping an old one. The subsidies are available retroactively for purchases from April 10. The program is due to expire at the end of March.

The government expects the incentives to lead to the sale of an additional 690,000 vehicles this fiscal year. Electric, hybrid, natural-gas, and some diesel vehicles also qualify for an exemption from the country’s weight and purchase taxes.

Still, domestic sales this fiscal year may be the worst in three decades due to Japan’s recession. Wages slumped for a 15th month in August and retail sales fell for a 12th month.

The Japan Automobile Manufactures Association predicts domestic industrywide sales will drop 8.5 percent to 4.3 million vehicles in the year ending March.

By Kiyori Ueno