Toyota to Invest $922 Million in New Paint Facility at Kentucky Complex

The Toyota Motor Manufacturing plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, on March 14, 2019. John Sommers II/Getty Images

Toyota will build a new car paint facility as part of a $922 million investment at its factory complex in Georgetown, Kentucky, the vehicle maker said on Dec. 12.

Toyota said the new facility is expected to open in 2027 and will add 1 million square feet of capacity at the Georgetown plant, which is located roughly 16 miles north of Lexington, Kentucky.

In a statement, the world’s biggest automaker said the new paint facility expands on Toyota’s latest paint technologies and will reduce production and manufacturing time while improving process accuracy.

The new facility will further support Toyota’s electric vehicle production efforts and reduce environmental impacts, according to the company.

It will decrease carbon emissions by 30 percent and water usage by 1.5 million gallons per year, according to the Japanese automaker.

Toyota has set a goal of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.

It is the second biggest investment at the automaker’s largest global manufacturing plant announced this year. In February, Toyota said it would invest $1.3 billion at the Kentucky complex for future electrification efforts.

That investment would, in part, aid in the assembling of an all-new, three-row battery electric SUV to be sold in the United States in 2026, the company said.

“This year alone more than $2 billion is being reinvested in this plant,” Toyota Kentucky President Kerry Creech said. “As the company and industry evolves, we remain committed to putting our team members first, ensuring long-term job security.”

Neither of the two investments will add new jobs at the facility, which employs about 10,000 workers.

Toyota has invested more than $11 billion in Kentucky since it first broke ground in Georgetown in 1986, the company said.

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Toyota’s $922 million investment is the largest economic development monetary investment for the commonwealth this year.

“Kentucky and Toyota have formed a winning partnership over the past 40 years that has been transformational for families throughout the commonwealth, and this latest investment builds on that tradition of success,” he said in a statement.

Since 2020, Toyota has announced new investments of more than $20 billion into its U.S. manufacturing operations, the company said.

Georgetown Mayor Burney Jenkins said he was excited by another investment by Toyota into its Georgetown facility.

“We are optimistic about the economic impact of this expansion and appreciate their continued commitment to our community,” Jenkins said in a statement.

The company has a goal of selling 1.5 million to 1.8 million electric or hybrid vehicles in the United States by 2030.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.