Japanese automaker Toyota Motors has announced its plans to invest over $28m to expand operations at its powertrain operations at two facilities in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This move is part of the company's plan to develop engines and automatic transmissions for the North American designed and manufactured vehicles.
Toyota will use the investment to strengthen powertrain development capability, specifically in the areas of design, evaluation and calibration on new engine and transmission projects.
According to the company, focusing on these three areas will drive more local decision-making and ultimately faster, more precise response to its customers.
Toyota Technical Center external affairs assistant manager Cynthia Mahalak said, "The new growth will support powertrain capability specifically in the areas of design, evaluation, and calibration of engines and transmissions."
With the investment, the company plans to make the technical center capable of developing engines and automatic transmissions for its vehicles designed and manufactured in North America.
The expansion is expected to add about 60 jobs to the Toyota Technical Center, which is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America.
For the past ten years, Toyota has been manufacturing engines and transmissions in the US and has invested about $2bn in manufacturing facilities in the region during the last 20 months.
