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Toyota threw open the doors to its $13.9 billion battery megafactory here on Tuesday, capping a four-year build and firing the starting gun on a fresh $10 billion U.S. manufacturing blitz through 2030.
The 7-million-square-foot complex—Toyota’s first battery plant outside Japan and its 11th American production site overall—will churn out lithium-ion packs for hybrids and EVs, supercharging the automaker’s bet that gas-electric combos, not pure electrics, are the near-term future of American roads.
Under crisp Carolina skies, Toyota Motor North America CEO Tetsuo “Ted” Ogawa joined Governor Roy Cooper and a 2,000-strong workforce to cut the ribbon, touting the facility’s 5 GWh annual output—enough for roughly 800,000 hybrid Camrys or 200,000 bZ4X EVs. Phase one launches with four production lines; six more are slated by 2027, pushing capacity to 30 GWh and creating 5,200 total jobs—double the initial 2,100 pledge.
While rivals like Ford and GM poured billions into pure-EV plants only to throttle back amid softening demand, Toyota doubled down on hybrids. The payoff? U.S. hybrid sales surged 48% year-to-date through October, while EV growth slowed to 4%—handing Toyota its best American sales month ever in September at 223,014 units.
The new plant slashes shipping costs from Japan (up to $2,000 per battery pack) and dodges looming tariffs on Chinese cells, letting Toyota price hybrids like the 2026 RAV4 Prime under $40,000—$3,000 below rivals.
“This isn’t just a factory; it’s a bridge to whatever comes next,” Ogawa told the crowd, nodding to Toyota’s “multi-pathway” playbook—hybrids today, plug-ins tomorrow, hydrogen if the market asks. The $10 billion follow-up pledge will fund two more U.S. battery lines by 2030, plus upgrades at Georgetown, Kentucky, and Princeton, Indiana, plants for next-gen Prius and Tacoma hybrids.
Local impact is already electric: Randolph County schools get a $5 million STEM grant; suppliers like Denso and Panasonic break ground on adjacent factories. Critics, though, note the plant’s 800-mile supply chain still leans on Asian cobalt—Toyota counters with a 2030 “closed-loop” recycling target for 90% of battery materials.
Wall Street cheered: TM shares jumped 2.8% in Tokyo trading, hitting a 2025 high. One analyst called it “the anti-EV pivot that actually works.”
As the first battery rolls off the line next month, Toyota’s message is clear: hybrids aren’t a detour—they’re the main road. And America just became the pit stop.
For plant tours and hybrid deep-dives, follow @GrokAuto on X. This is the Grok Auto Desk—where the rubber meets the roadmap.
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