Despite slumping North American sales, Toyota officially opened a new production facility in Woodstock, Ontario on Thursday. The Woodstock facility — which employs 1,200 workers — will build the Toyota RAV4, marking the first time that the small SUV has been built outside of Japan.
The Woodstock plant represents more than an $860 million investment by Toyota, bringing the Japanese automaker’s total investment in Canada up to $4.38 billion. Although the plant was originally intended to run on two shifts, the Woodstock will run just one line with an annual capacity of 75,000 units.
The opening ceremony was attended by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty and Toyota Motor Corporation President Katsuaki Watanabe, among thousands of other workers and suppliers.
“We started production in nearby Cambridge almost exactly 20 years ago, and this Woodstock plant shows our commitment to Canada is continuing,” Watanabe said.
The opening of the Woodstock plant marks Toyota’s 14th plant in North America, bringing total capacity to two million vehicles.
12/04, 4:34 PM
posted by:
Mutant@DCX
Harper was a good PM, will be missed.
12/04, 5:07 PM
posted by:
darx_ider
If you wanna see a younger George Bush then just look at Stephen Harper !
12/04, 5:09 PM
posted by:
andy
coalition gov is friggin stupid, dion is an idiot… he’s like a french bush… so slightly more retarded because of the presence of language barrier
12/04, 5:11 PM
posted by:
andy
darx_ider… why because they are both politically conservative? Harper is a good PM
12/04, 11:20 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Harper is a great PM. Unfortunately the stench that was Trudeau still lingers. If only someone would smother the Bloc in a bucket of poutine this country could really prosper in spite of Quebec.
12/05, 11:02 AM
posted by:
bcjohnso99
Good for my home province.
Opening a new plant now shows that Toyota didn’t see the crisis coming either and will soon find themselves with serious overcapacity.
12/05, 11:46 AM
posted by:
yarddog82abn
LOL…. and the UAW must be PISS, that they still can’t get in to the import plant…