NAGOYA, Japan -- Toyota Motor intends to produce the Corolla at a newly announced U.S. factory, shifting plans for the compact car away from a plant under construction in Mexico that instead will be used for the Tacoma pickup truck, President Akio Toyoda said Friday.
The new American plant will be built jointly with compatriot Mazda Motor.
Toyota will invest about $1 billion in its Mexico factory, slated for completion in 2019. President Donald Trump had tweeted "NO WAY!" regarding the facility back in January, urging the Japanese automaker to build one in the U.S. instead.
The change in plans "is not related at all" to Trump's comments, Toyoda said. Cheaper gas prices have boosted sales of trucks and other larger vehicles in the U.S. The automaker looks to capture this demand by producing the Tacoma at the Mexico plant, which will be completed before the U.S. factory.
(Nikkei)
