While the Toyota Prius helped fuel the hybrid charge, the company has been less active in EV production. But that may be in the past Toyota announced another $1.3 billion for its Kentucky facility, with a focus on EVs. Specifically, the company is developing a new three-row electric SUV that will be available to US customers.
Toyota’s Kentucky operation is its flagship facility with about 9,400 employees. “Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to vehicle electrification and further reinvestment in our U.S. operations,” Toyota Kentucky President Kerry Crick said in a statement. “Generations of our team members have helped prepare for this opportunity, and we will continue to lead the future by staying true to who we are as a company and putting our people first for generations to come.”
Little is known about the three-row electric SUV so far, as Toyota has kept it short on investment. However, this comes after an earlier announcement by the company City SUV concept it is planned to be launched in Europe this year.
The $1.3 billion investment will also go toward building a battery pack assembly line at the Kentucky plant (a separate manufacturing plant in North Carolina makes the batteries). Toyota has big plans for battery manufacturing, previously announcing three battery lineups aimed at higher performance and lower cost for 2026 and beyond. The company is also working on the first solid-state batteries with the potential to charge energy at the same time HOUSE From 10 percent to 80 percent in 10 minutes. Toyota bZ4X EV currently takes 32 minutes to do this.
