Toyota to build assembly plant in Mississippi

4000 employees, plus thousands more new jobs in support businesses. This is welcome news for north Mississippi which has seen the redeployment of thousands of furniture manufacturing jobs since the passage of NAFTA.

Gov. Haley Barbour of Mississippi plans a major economic development announcement on Tuesday amid reports the state will become home to a Toyota Motor Corp. manufacturing plant.

The Nikkei, a Japanese business newspaper, said on its Web site Monday that Toyota will build an $880 million sports utility vehicle plant in Mississippi, eliminating sites in Arkansas and Tennessee from contention.

Barbour spokesman Pete Smith, asked if the announcement involved Toyota, responded: “We’re not saying anything about it.” Daniel Sieger, spokesman for Toyota’s North American manufacturing division, said there was “nothing to announce at this moment.”

Mississippi Development Authority officials did not immediately return calls for comment.

Nissan Motor Corp. opened an assembly plant north of Jackson in 2003. The 4,000-employee plant produced about 278,000 vehicles last year.

Officials in three northeast Mississippi counties _ Pontotoc, Lee and Union _ have been trying to market a 1,700-acre site as a possible location for an auto manufacturing plant.

The site, nicknamed “Wellspring,” is about 10 miles northwest of Tupelo. It’s next to U.S. 78, a federal highway that’s scheduled to be designated as Interstate 22.

Source: wkrn.com

Governor Haley Barbour’s press announcement is set for Tuesday, but nobody is officially confirming it. Trent Lott (the hair-do) is scheduled to be in Tupelo on Tuesday (Imagine that).

Barbour’s Democrat opponent in the upcoming election, John Arthur Eaves, is scheduled to make his official announcement of candidacy tomorrow also. But, with the Toyota announcement, nobody will hear him, nor will anyone care. Barbour just got re-elected. Cha-ching.

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17 Responses

  1. Congratulations, Missippi! And a big ol’ pat on the back of Governor Barbour and the staff for having this locate in their state.

  2. Deep in the heart of pulp wood country.
    Mississippi is long overdue for a heavy manufacturing base.

  3. Meanwhile, the unions are busily squeezing the last drops of blood out of the American automobile manufacturing companies.

  4. I haven’t checked lately, but does the UAW have it’s fangs into the new breed of car assembly plants?

  5. That’s what I was wondering! I was assuming that they do not. Coud be wrong.

  6. No unions. right to work state.

  7. Same here.
    The South Rules!

  8. Yep, same here.

  9. Go Mississippi…..we just keep rolling along :)

  10. I am a investor in property and I was wandering what land sales are like in this area. Do paper companies have land for sale here. Any information will be helpful. Thanks Melvin Holmes

  11. Does any one know who the Contractor is?

  12. I really wish all the cars are still assembly in japan and ship it over here. Might be a little more expensive, but quality is a lot higher

  13. But Jardini, the tariffs would be alot higher, the retail price would be higher, and the trade imbalances between the two countries would widen, causing much political friction, between two good friends.
    Personally, I only buy American, and have had very few complaints about quality.
    Still wish I had kept that big black Cadillac. It was still a great car, even with 320,000 miles on it.

  14. Very cool design! Useful information. Go on!

  15. TMC Building More Production Plant In Mississippi

    The Toyota Motor Corporation was planning to build a total of 15 production plants in the US by the year 2010. Just recently, a production plant opened in Mississippi and this new facility is still a part of its plan. Now, another production plant wi…

  16. It is really good article. Thanks for taking the time and making the effort educating us :)

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