First Lexus rolls off line at Cambridge, ON plant

The first Canadian-built Lexus RX 330, the first of Toyota’s luxury-brand SUVs to be built outside Japan, rolled off the line last week at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc.’s (TMMC) Cambridge, ON, facility. The occasion was celebrated by Toyota executives, plant management, team members and government officials.
The RX 330 is also manufactured at a Toyota plant in Japan. Toyota invested Cdn$650 million in upgrades in order to implement production of the vehicle. Since 2000, Canadian and Japanese team members have traveled back and forth between the two plants to prepare for manufacturing of the SUV at the Cambridge plant.
The Lexus is built in a separate manufacturing area in the plant, which includes a state-of-the-art paint shop using waterborne cartridge paint technology. The plant also has two injection molding machines which are used primarily to produce bumpers and instrument panel components.
“This is a great day for all of us here in Cambridge,” said TMMC president Ray Tanguay. “We’ve been working for more than three years to realize this dream.”