Toyota to make the Lexus NX SUV in Ontario

Automaker Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada has announced plans to produce the Lexus NX and Lexus NX Hybrid compact luxury SUVs at its Cambridge, Ont., facility starting in early 2022.

“Together with the company’s recent investments in our facilities, today’s announcement demonstrates the tremendous amount of trust that Toyota has in the team members here at TMMC,” Fred Volf, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, said at an event at the Cambridge plant on April 29.

The event was also attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Hon. Christine Elliott, Deputy Premier of Ontario and Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care.

In May 2018, Trudeau announced a $110 million investment to support Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada’s $1.4 billion investment in its Cambridge and Woodstock plants.

“Toyota’s new 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,” said Trudeau.

Toyota’s investment is expected to support more than 8,000 jobs and 1,000 co-op placements in Southwestern Ontario.

In a statement, Toyota said the strategic investment allowed the company to shift its production to meet the demands of North America’s rapidly growing compact SUV market, most notably through the production of the Toyota RAV4 and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.

Toyota started producing Lexus vehicles in 2003 and has since made more than 1.3 million Lexus RX and Lexus RX Hybrid vehicles.

Toyota has manufactured more than eight million vehicles over 30 years in Canada, and currently employs more than 8,500 employees at its facilities in Cambridge and Woodstock.