With the opening of its new automobile factory, Toyota becomes the 71st Japanese company to launch operations in the Mexican state of Guanajuato.
Governor Miguel Márquez Márquez and Minister of Economy Ildelfonso Guajardo Villarreal, placed the symbolic first stone of the Toyota plant, which is schedule to being operations in 2019 and expected to create 2,000 direct jobs and up to 10,000 indirect job.
The plant will be built on nearly 1,500 acres near the Amistad Industrial Park and is expected to have a positive impact on the economy of Queretaro City thanks to its proximity.
The state's Ministry of Sustainable Economic Development revealed that Japan is the state of Guanajuato's main business partner with regards to foreign investment, with 70 Nipponese companies that have invested 3.471 billions dollars in the state over the current administration (2012-2018), who've made a commitment of creating 23,300 new jobs in the region.
This foreign investment has given rise to the arrival of thousands of Japanese residents throughout the region, most of who live in the cities of Leon and Salamanca.
Japanese car manufacturers have sold 1 million 300 thousands in Mexico and with this investment, this number is expected to increase to 1 million 500 thousand. “In only 10 years Japanese car manufacturers have increased their manufacturing platform four fold,” said the Minister of Economy.
“Mexico is and continues to be a crucial market for car manufacturing in North America, and the new manufacturing plant in Guanajuato will play a vital role in Toyota's growth,” said the chair of Grupo Toyota's board of directors, Takeshi Uchiyamada.
At the event, the state governor said that with Toyota's investment, Guanajuato will become the only state in the country with seven major manufacturing plants and will be the fourth biggest car manufacturer. The state is expected to become the number one car manufacturer in the country by 2020.