Toyota Considering Making Camry Cars in Indiana

TOKYO January 30, 2006; The AP reported that Toyota is considering producing its mid-sized Camry sedan at new partner Fuji Heavy's U.S. plant in Indiana.

Toyota Motor Corp. President Katsuaki Watanabe said Monday that details were still being worked out on the alliance with Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., the Japanese maker of Subaru cars. Both sides have already said the factory in Lafayette, Indiana, will produce Toyota vehicles.

The Camry was the best-selling car in the United States last year for the fourth year in a row -- and eight of the last nine years. In January, Toyota introduced the remodeled Camry in the United States and showed the model in Japan on Monday.

In October, U.S. automaker General Motors Corp. said it was ending its alliance with Fuji Heavy and sold its entire 20 percent stake. Toyota bought an 8.7 percent stake in Fuji for about US$315 million and became the top shareholder in Fuji.

The Indiana plant now makes about 100,000 Subaru vehicles a year, including the Outback station wagons, Legacy sedans and the Baja and B9 Tribeca sport-utility vehicles. It wasn't clear how the possible introduction of the Camry at the factory would affect Subaru production.

Since introducing the Camry in 1982, Toyota has sold more than 6.5 million Camrys in the United States. Toyota is also planning a hybrid version of the Camry that will be powered by both electricity and gasoline.