Mississippi Toyota plant to open after all

The incomplete Mississippi Toyota plant in the town of Blue Springs has been slated for a resumption of construction, a move that should bring 2,000 jobs to the area. The Associated Press reports that Toyota’s estimate is that the plant should be fully operational by the fall of 2011. This comes after construction was to are complete and also the plant running by 2010, but the onset of the economic recession in 2008 destroyed that timetable.

Article Resource: Mississippi Toyota plant construction resumes

Corolla is the Mississippi Toyota plant’s stock in trade

When initial plans for the Blue Springs, Mississippi Toyota plant were to make the Prius hybrid car, now the Japanese automaker plans to make 150,000 Corolla compact autos each year. Regardless, industry insiders see this as a step in the right direction for Toyota’s image in North America. Considering that they’ve had to recall 9 million cars given that October 2009 due to safety issues, Toyota will take any gains available.

Toyota plant closures in U.S. met with scorn

Toyota’s NUMMI, or the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant in California, shut down after severing ties with GM; workers did not take kindly to the decision. Allying Toyota with Tesla Motors was a calculated move by Toyota President Akio Toyoda to build goodwill within the U.S., but a lot more work must be done.

Blue Springs welcomes Toyota home, says Gov. Barbour

The rebirth of the Mississippi Toyota plant is a ray of sunshine for Governor Haley Barbour, who told the AP that:

“We’re delighted but not surprised. We’ve had good reason to keep our faith in them. Through a global economic crisis, Toyota kept its financial commitments to the state and to local schools, proving they’re not just the world’s premier automaker but a valuable community partner as well.”

To Blue Springs (and Mississippi), new jobs are of vital importance, and also the Mississippi Toyota plant will deliver. Toyota profits are in a difficult place, but recovery may be around the corner, experts speculate.

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Associated Press

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