Toyota investing hundreds of millions to boost gas engine production
It may seem out of step with the industry's march towards electrification, but consumers still want more V6 engines.
The WV workforce will soon grow.
It's not all hybrids and electric cars, folks. Far from it. In fact, Toyota needs more gasoline-powered engines, and not its most frugal inline-fours either. On Thursday, the automaker said it's making a $210 million investment into its plant in Buffalo, West Virginia, to increase the output of V6 engines.
It's good news for employment in the state, since Toyota will need to hire another 100 workers on staff to build out a new third shift to run at the site. Toyota said the plant's also busy cranking out engines for the super popular RAV4, so it will require the added workforce for expanded V6 engine production.
The monies will specifically help create a flexible production line, with new machinery and equipment on the V6 engine line. Toyota said the move will allow the company to better respond to higher demand at its various plants building cars with the six-cylinder engines across the US and Canada. There will be another 5,900 engines coming out of the plant each month for a grand total of more than 70,000 per year. It's a pretty clear sign that Toyota also sees value in gasoline engine production, even as the industry shifts to electrified powertrains. We're still far from mass EV adoption, at that.
