BUFFALO, W.Va. — Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia produced Toyota’s first hybrid transaxle in North America this week at its plant located in Putnam County.
Toyota announced an initial $113 million investment in late 2017 for Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia (TMMWV) to yearly produce 120,000 hybrid transaxles, which replaces the conventional transmission in hybrid vehicles.
“Our team has been planning for this new production line for several years, from construction to pilot projects to hiring new employees and countless hours of training,” said Srini Matam, TMMWV president in a release.
“Our team members’ dedication to the work they do every day is what makes our products world-class, and we are grateful for the continued support of our parent company, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC).”
TMMWV said the transaxles, built for the Toyota Sienna and Highlander hybrid vehicles, change their power input with either electric power or internal combustion engine depending on driving conditions to achieve the best fuel economy.
“We are proud to add such a significant investment to Toyota West Virginia,” said Matam. “Expanding West Virginia’s production capabilities to hybrid technology solidifies our facility’s role in producing next-generation engines and transmissions that will drive the future of Toyota’s advanced mobility technology.”
During the construction, which included a 72,000 square-foot building expansion and new equipment installation, TMC doubled the production capacity in early 2019 to 240,000 yearly and nearly doubled the project investment to $226 million.