On the Dash:
- Toyota Kentucky has begun assembling the all-new RAV4 Hybrid at its Georgetown plant, supported by $2 billion in investments over the past two years.
- The plant also broke ground on a roughly $922 million next-generation paint facility projected to cut carbon emissions by 30% and save 1.5 million gallons of water annually.
- Toyota issued a $500,000 grant to Bluegrass Community and Technical College to fund a new regional workforce training center that will operate 24/7 to accommodate the plant’s shift schedule.
Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky, plant, the automaker’s largest North American manufacturing facility, marked a pair of major milestones Monday, launching production of the all-new RAV4 Hybrid while breaking ground on an advanced paint facility, all as the plant celebrates its 40th year of operation.
The moves are backed by $2 billion in investments that Toyota has announced since 2024. The Georgetown site has now drawn more than $12 billion in total investment since opening, assembled 15 million vehicles, and employs nearly 10,000 Kentuckians.
The RAV4 is Toyota’s best-selling small SUV in the U.S., and the arrival of its hybrid variant in Georgetown is part of the company’s multi-pathway electrification strategy. Additionally, the plant is scheduled to launch the new Highlander Battery Electric Vehicle in September 2026. Toyota has announced plans to start exporting U.S.-made Camry sedans, produced in Georgetown, to Japan later this year, with expected annual exports of 10,000 vehicles.
Building the next workforce
Construction has begun on a new advanced paint facility representing an approximately $922 million investment. The automaker says the next-generation paint plant will reduce carbon emissions by 30% and save around 1.5 million gallons of water per year, while increasing flexibility for future EV production. The company describes it as a future global benchmark for manufacturing efficiency.
Toyota also announced a $500,000 grant to Bluegrass Community and Technical College (BCTC) to fund a new regional workforce training center at BCTC’s Winchester campus, a former Amazon facility previously used for worker preparation and call center operations. The center will offer hands-on training in advanced manufacturing, including welding and robotics, and will run around the clock to align with Toyota’s shift schedule, with costs covered by the grant.
Toyota Kentucky President Kerry Creech, who is retiring June 26 after nearly 36 years at the plant, emphasized that the workforce investment is as critical as the production milestones, stating in the company’s media release, “The milestones we celebrate today reflect our team’s commitment to sustainability and our unwavering promise to continue to deliver vehicles our customers love.”
