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Toyota investing $750M, adding 600 jobs at 5 U.S. plants

BUFFALO, W.Va. — Toyota on Thursday announced it is investing an additional $750 million at five U.S. plants that will bring nearly 600 new jobs, including the production of two hybrid vehicles for the first time at its Kentucky facility. It marks yet another expansion of the Japanese automaker's U.S. presence, bringing to nearly $13 billion the amount it will spend by 2021. The latest investments are at facilities in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and West Virginia. Those same facilities were part of a 2017 announcement by Toyota for a $374 million investment to support production of its first American-made hybrid powertrain. Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz said the latest investments "represent even more examples of our long-term commitment to build where we sell. By boosting our U.S. manufacturing footprint, we can better serve our customers and dealers and position our manufacturing plants for future success with more domestic capacity." Toyota's Georgetown, Kentucky, facility will get a $238 million infusion to produce hybrid versions of Lexus ES 300 sedans starting in May and the Rav4 SUV starting in January 2020, the company announced. It also includes $288 million to increase annual engine capacity at Toyota's Huntsville, Alabama, facility. The plant will add 450 jobs to accommodate new four-cylinder and V6 engine production lines. Last year Toyota and Mazda announced plans to build a $1.6 billion joint-venture plant in Huntsville that will eventually employ about 4,000 people. Toyota also is spending $62 million on equipment to boost production of Toyota and Lexus cylinder heads at its Bodine Aluminum facility in Troy, Missouri, as part of its cost-saving New Global Architecture production strategy to share common parts and components among different vehicles. A $50 million expansion and equipment upgrade at its Bodine plant in Jackson, Tennessee, will add 13 jobs and produce engine blocks while doubling the capacity of hybrid transaxle cases and housings. And Toyota will add 123 jobs and spent $111 million to expand its plant and purchase equipment in Buffalo, West Virginia, to double the capacity of hybrid transaxles. Previously, Toyota also announced a $600 million investment at its Princeton, Indiana, plant to increase the capacity of its Highlander SUV and to incorporate the new production strategy, and $170 million to launch the 2020 Corolla on a new production line in Blue Springs, Mississippi.

2023 Lexus ES gets new touchscreen infotainment, F Sport packages

Toyota might be finished with the Avalon but Lexus isn't finished with the ES. The 2023 ES sedan acquires features to please a range of buyers, from a new infotainment system to new F Sport packages similar to those added to the IS sedan range. The benefit for every buyer will be Lexus Interface infotainment with touchscreen and voice controls. Oddly, Lexus didn't include a photo of the reworked interior, said to get a redesigned center console, a new sunglass holder, a new cup holder location, and an "available wireless charger." We believe the redesign jettisons the trackpad previously used to control the infotainment system, placed on the center tunnel next to the shift lever. If other recent Lexus offerings are the guide, we'll expect the cupholder to move to next to the shift lever instead of behind it — and hope Lexus forgot to make "cupholder" plural instead of giving front-row occupants two receptacles. The ES already offered a wireless phone charger, so we expect the news here is that it's also moved.   The touchscreen will be easier to control and also comes with a higher resolution. The system can be controlled by voice when given the "Hey Lexus" command to attention, and features dual microphones, seat detection, and speaker location capability. The standard screen continues to be eight inches across, the optional screen maxes at 12.3 inches. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are included. For sedan shoppers seeking a bit more spice either cosmetically or dynamically, the ES adopts the F Sport Design Package and the F Sport Handling Package that came to the IS last month. Any ES (250 AWD, 350, and 300h) optioned up to Premium trim can add the F Sport Design bundle with its unique front bumper and grille surround, rear spoiler, and exclusive 19-inch, gloss black split-five-spoke alloys. It also adds Intuitive Park Assist to the convenience feature list.   ES 350 and ES 300h buyers who stump for the F Sport Design Package can further add the F Sport Handling Package. This gets two extra drive modes, Sport+ and Custom, to manage the F Sport adaptive suspension, plus a heated F Sport steering wheel, Hadori aluminum trim, aluminum pedals, and a black headliner.

Toyota's car subscription service rewards you for safe driving

Toyota has teamed up with Sumitomo Mitsui Auto Service Company to launch a new car subscription service with gamification elements in Japan. The program is called Kinto, and it'll offer two tiers: the first, called Kinto One, will allow you to drive one Toyota vehicle over a three-year period for anywhere between $420 and $900 a month. When the tier becomes available on March 1st, you can choose from the available Prius, Corolla Sport, Alphard, Vellfire and Crown models. The other tier called Kinto Select will give you the power to drive one of the available Lexus-branded vehicles for $1,630 a month for three years. Now, what truly makes Kinto potentially more interesting than other leasing services is a rewards program that awards points based on how well you drive. Toyota didn't really expound on how it will work, other than saying that it will "award points to customers based on their vehicle usage (such as for safe or ecological driving)." As TechCrunch notes, the assumption is that the vehicle's in-car connected system will come with the ability to monitor your driving. Best thing about it is that the points you earn aren't useless rewards you can't even use: you'll be able to apply them toward payments. Kinto's Select option will be available starting on February 6th, almost a full month before the more affordable Kinto One launches. Both will be available via select dealers in Tokyo on a trial basis, and they won't officially roll out across Japan until summer. The points program won't be available until fall, when Kinto One's options will also expand. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether Kinto will eventually roll out in the US and other markets outside Toyota's home nation.For more information on Vehicle Subscription Services, check out the Complete Guide.Reporting by Mariella Moon for Engadget.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.