Toyota in American manufacturing: from NUMMI to the North Carolina battery plant

Toyota manufacturing in the US history

Toyota's first US manufacturing investment was small: in 1974 it bought Atlas Fabricators in Long Beach, California, which built truck beds, and renamed it TABC. Car assembly started with NUMMI. In February 1984 Toyota and General Motors each put up half of $200 million to form New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. at GM's former Fremont, California, plant. Toyota's first US-built car was a Corolla FX16.

In December 1985 Toyota chose Georgetown, Kentucky, for its first wholly owned US vehicle plant. It broke ground on the $800 million plant in May 1986, added a $300 million powertrain plant, and built its first Camry in May 1988. Toyota now calls Kentucky its largest vehicle plant in the world, with 10,000 employees and capacity for 550,000 vehicles a year.

Toyota added vehicle plants in Indiana (1998), Texas (2006) and Mississippi (2011), plus engine and component plants in West Virginia, Alabama and Tennessee. NUMMI closed on April 1, 2010, after nearly 8 million vehicles. In June 2025 Toyota's battery plant in Liberty, North Carolina, began shipping batteries.[1],[2],[3],[4],[5],[6],[7]

Years and production numbers

Generations and key variants

Engine and drivetrain facts

• Toyota Alabama says it builds nearly half of Toyota's North American engines and is the only plant building four-cylinder, V6 and twin-turbo engines under one roof, including the 2.4-liter turbo for the Tacoma and the twin-turbo V6 for the Tundra and Sequoia.
• Toyota West Virginia is Toyota's only combined engine and transmission plant in North America and its only North American plant producing hybrid transaxles.
• Kentucky assembled 787,063 engines in 2025, and in 2025 Toyota announced a $204.4 million hybrid-compatible engine line there, with production scheduled for 2027.
• Toyota Tennessee casts nearly 2 million aluminum engine blocks and more than 1 million transmission cases and housings a year for North American vehicles.

Sources:[3],[9],[10],[11]

What changed over the years

1. 1974Toyota buys Atlas Fabricators (Long Beach, California) and renames it TABC, its first US manufacturing investment.
2. 1984NUMMI formed with GM in Fremont, California.
3. 1986First US-assembled Toyota, a Corolla FX16, at NUMMI; TMM (now TMMK) established.
4. 1988First Kentucky-built Camry in May.
5. 1991First truck line-off at NUMMI.
6. 1996–1998Indiana and West Virginia plants break ground and start production.
7. 2003–2006Alabama engines (2003), Tennessee castings (2005) and Texas Tundra assembly (2006).
8. 2010NUMMI closes April 1; Tacoma production moves to San Antonio.
9. 2011Mississippi begins Corolla production.
10. 2021Mazda Toyota Manufacturing starts Corolla Cross; North Carolina battery plant announced.
11. 2025North Carolina battery plant begins shipping batteries in June.

Sources:[1],[4],[5],[6],[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14]

What to check before you buy one

• Decode the VIN to see where a specific Toyota was assembled; a plant list only tells you where a model is built today.
• The same model can come from more than one plant over its life; Tacoma, for example, has been built at NUMMI, in San Antonio and in Mexico. Check the VIN rather than assuming.
• Run the VIN for open recalls; many recalls are limited to vehicles from one plant and a range of build dates.

Engine guides: 2.5L Dynamic Force four (A25A-FKS / A25A-FXS), 2.4L turbo four (T24A-FTS), 3.4L i-FORCE twin-turbo V6 (V35A-FTS), i-FORCE MAX hybrid.

How to verify a Toyota manufacturing in the US's factory options

Every vehicle built at Toyota's US vehicle plants, from NUMMI's first cars on, carries a standardized 17-character VIN.[15]