Motortrend, via Automotive News, reported yesterday that Toyota is mulling moving future US production of the Prius from the currently built, but empty, Tupelo, Mississippi plant. Here is MT's take:
"Steve St. Angelo, the senior vice president of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Inc., mentioned that although plans currently call for the plant to manufacture the successful eco-friendly model, the automaker is looking to see if producing another vehicle at the location is more ideal.
The $1.3-billion plant opened in 2006 and was initially slated to build Highlander crossovers. Last summer, the plant was delayed and reassigned to produce the third-generation Prius. But everything was once again thrown into the air when the plant was further postponed last December due to the slumping automotive sales sector.
St. Angelo mentioned at a news conference that Toyota officials are weighing various scenarios in regards to what is best suited to be built in North America. One possible outcome has the Prius being built somewhere else in the region, while a new model takes its place in Tupelo."
This report of course sent the state of Mississippi into a tizzy (ok, actually no one I know in MS even knew about the plant), and this morning Jackson's Clarion-Ledger newspaper is reporting that both Mississippi and Toyota officials say that Mr. St. Angelo was incorrect in his statements.
"There are no plans to change, and we are still committed to opening as soon as market conditions allow," Toyota spokeswoman Barbara McDaniel said.
"The Prius is the product they will produce when they start," said David Rumbarger, president and CEO of the Community Development Foundation in Tupelo.
Buddy Bynum, communications director for Gov. Haley Barbour, said the story in Automotive News "was full of obviously inaccurate information, such as the statement that Toyota employees hired at Blue Springs have been sent somewhere else; according to local managers, those employees are still at Blue Springs."
Keep in mind that if Toyota announced TODAY that they were going to open the Tupelo plant, it would be around 2011 when we would see the first Prius roll off the production line. If Toyota announced that they were going to build the Prius at another, yet to be built plant, we're most likely looking at 2015.
MotorTrend - Toyota Mulls New North American Locale For Prius Production; Tupelo May Be Out
