Toyota Canada announced on Monday that it will build the Lexus NX and Lexus NX Hybrid compact luxury SUVs at its Cambridge plant in Ontario as of 2022.
The company’s Cambridge factory, along with its plant in nearby Woodstock, currently produces the RAV4 crossover and two versions of the Lexus RX.
“Building on our recent Toyota RAV4 announcement and our recent facility modernization investments, we are excited to announce that TMMC has been selected to produce the popular Lexus NX and Lexus NX Hybrid models for the entire North American market,” said Fred Volf, President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.
Toyota currently employs more than 8,500 people at its facilities in Cambridge and Woodstock. The federal government said the new investment in 2022 will add more than 8,000 jobs and 1,000 co-op placements in Southwestern Ontario.
Last year, Toyota announced a $1.4 billion investment, which included funds from the federal and provincial governments, to convert its North and West plants to the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform.
It’s all welcome news for an industry that is dealing with plant closures and line cuts from General Motors and Fiat Chrysler.
“Today is a great day for Toyota, for Cambridge, and for Canada,” said Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “Canadian auto workers are among the world’s best, and they have the skills and knowhow to design and build cars that meet the needs of people today and tomorrow.”
He said Toyota’s commitment to its Cambridge facility “is a vote of confidence in our auto sector, and will help Canada lead in the new high-tech economy of the future.”
This will be the first time the Lexus NX and NX hybrid models will be produced outside of Japan, according to the federal government. Toyota is considered to be the largest automotive manufacturer in Canada.
