Toyota will make hybrid parts in U.S. within 4 years

Toyota Motor Corp. aims to make hybrid drivetrain components in the United States and elsewhere overseas within four years, after years of reserving production of those high-tech parts for its Japanese plants.

According to KHABAR KHODRO, The decision aims to support higher hybrid-vehicle unit sales globally. Manufacturing hybrid batteries, electric motors and inverters outside Japan is seen as the next step in Toyota’s goal to fuel sales of the gasoline-electric cars through overseas assembly.

“Right now, hybrid component production is too biased toward Japan,” Shinichi Sasaki, Toyota’s executive vice president in charge of global purchasing, told Automotive News.

He said the new strategy calls for making the components at global production centers that will ship the parts to hybrid vehicle assembly plants worldwide. The components likely would be built in North America and other markets such as Southeast Asia and China, he predicted