BUFFALO, W.Va. — Toyota produced its first six-speed high torque automatic transmission on its new second automatic transmission line Tuesday at the company’s plant in Putnam County.
Toyota announced the $90 million expansion in Aug. 2013 at the Buffalo plant. The new transmissions are being shipped and installed in Toyota Highlanders and 4 Wheel Drive Siennas at the company’s assembly plant in Princeton, Indiana.
The new line will enable the Buffalo plant and its 1,400 workers to produce another 20,000 transmissions a month putting the annual production total at 740,000 transmissions.
“This capacity increase helps us meet growing North American demand. Achieving our eighth expansion, clearly demonstrates what our team is capable of building high quality powertrain products right here in West Virginia,” Toyota West Virginia President Millie Marshall said in a news release. “Team members’ focus on safety, quality and their commitment to continuous improvement has positioned our Buffalo plant to be an important part of Toyota’s efforts to localize production in North America. We look forward to many more exceptional years as a proud member of the Buffalo community.”
The recently completed expansion is the eighth one at the plant since it opened in 1996. Transmissions are produced for four and six-cylinder engines for Toyota Highlanders, Sierras, Toyota Avalon, Camry, Rav4, Venza and Lexus RX350.