Toyota expands capacity at its Argentina plant

Toyota has completed a capacity expansion plan at its plant in Zárate, Argentina. In March 1997, the first Hilux pickup truck rolled off the line. At the time, the plant was capable of producing around 20,000 vehicles per year.

Almost 20 years later, following the completion of a major new expansion programme, the plant now will now gradually work its way up to a capacity of roughly 140,000 vehicles.

When the expansion plan was originally announced in September 2013, the plant's capacity was 92,000 units. The overarching plan was to encourage regional exports of two segment leaders: the Fortuner (sold locally as the SW4) and the Hilux. The addition of 48,000 units worth of capacity has also generated one thousand new jobs, bringing the total employee tally to roughly 5,000 and making this a milestone of significant importance to the local community.

On March 4, Toyota Argentina SA (TASA) celebrated the completion of the project at a ceremony attended by the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, in addition to the governor of Buenos Aires Province, María Eugenia Vidal; the Japanese ambassador, Noriteru Fukushima; and other national and local authorities.

Toyota Motor Corporation’s executive vice-president Seiichi Sudo, who also took part in the ceremony, said: “This project is one of the biggest investments we have made since the global financial crisis in 2008. With this, we are going to export more and more vehicles within Latin America. We hope to continue contributing widely to the development of the automotive industry, communities, and the local economy."

"With this expansion, we believe that the new Hilux and SW4 will be able to reach new export destinations in Latin America," said Daniel Herrero, president of Toyota Argentina. "The results obtained by the Hilux, in our country and throughout the region, make us all proud. During 2016, we will produce our one millionth Hilux in our totally renewed plant."

The expansion of Toyota's production operations in Argentina began in 2002, when the company announced an investment planned to make Zárate Plant a production and export hub for multipurpose vehicles. This was consolidated in March 2005 with the launch of the IMV (Innovative International Multipurpose Vehicle) project. With the success of the Hilux and the Fortuner,

Good growth
As part of the expansion of the IMV project, production numbers in 2005 grew from 19,350 to 46,000 units. During 2006, production was further increased to 65,000 units annually. Then, through a new investment in 2012, the production capacity was increased to 92,000 units a year.

The latest project has significantly expanded the plant's size, adding 110,260 square metres of new buildings and 80,000 square metres of new logistic yards.