Sen. Capito lauds Toyota investment in West Virginia manufacturing plan

BUFFALO — Toyota is investing another $73 million in a West Virginia plant to help manufacture components of its electrified vehicles (EVs).

Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., made the announcement Friday, praising the investment, which follows a $240 million investment in that Buffalo facility in November 2021.

Capito said the investment will increase hybrid transaxle production capacity to 600,000 units per year.

With the funding, Toyota West Virginia (TMMWV) will also begin assembling an estimated 120,000 rear motor stators per year, a key component in electric motors, she said.

A team of more than 2,000 are now building about 1 million engines and transmissions annually for many of Toyota’s North American-assembled vehicles.

With Friday’s announcement, Toyota has invested more than $2 billion in its West Virginia plant, she added.

“West Virginia has a long and productive relationship with Toyota,” Capito said. “Today’s announcement shows the company’s continued commitment to investing in our state and our workers. Not only is this investment great news for West Virginia and the hardworking individuals at the Buffalo facility, but it will also help advance the company’s production and fuel our economy. In the meantime, I am committed to doing everything I can to make sure this success continues.”

Capito said she is making sure Democrats’ proposed Build Back Better Act, if it ever advances, gets rid of a discriminatory provision that “would prioritize some American workers over others, which is why I made my intentions known to put forward an amendment that would eliminate this unfair special interest subsidy should the Democrats’ move forward with their reckless tax-and-spend bill.”

Although the original bill could not receive the support of all Democrats in the Senate, including Sen. Joe Manchin, another version may be pushed.

“It’s critical that we create an environment that allows our hardworking West Virginians to compete on a level playing field, and I am committed to doing that so we can celebrate more investments like this in the future,” Capito said.

“Toyota is moving quickly toward an electrified future, and West Virginia will play a critical role in that journey,” David Rosier, president of TMMWV, said in the announcement. “Our team embraces this challenge, and it’s clear Toyota has faith in our ability and trusts us to take the company to new heights.”