BLUE SPRINGS, Miss. (April 17, 2014) – Luxury furniture, cotton, petroleum products and paper.  These are among dozens of Mississippi products that are exported around the globe.
 
And joining this list today:  the Toyota Corolla.
 
At a ceremony this afternoon with team members, elected officials and community and business leaders, Toyota Mississippi’s first Corolla for export to customers in Central and South America and the Caribbean rolled off the assembly line.
 
“Now our loyal customers in Central and South America and the Caribbean will experience Toyota Mississippi’s commitment to safety and high-quality,” Masafumi Hamaguchi, president of Toyota Mississippi said.  “The export of Mississippi-built Corollas directly supports 2,000 Toyota jobs, keeps our plant running at optimal capacity and increases opportunities for our suppliers and partners while serving our customers’ needs.”
 
“Since 2011, Mississippians have been successfully producing Toyota’s best-selling model globally, the Corolla, for the U.S. market. Today, Toyota once again puts Mississippi on the world’s stage with the rollout of the first export vehicle manufactured at the Blue Springs facility,” Miss. Gov. Phil Bryant said. “This new export opportunity further strengthens Mississippi’s growing automotive industry and position in the Southern Automotive Corridor, while also demonstrating to the world that Mississippi has the talented workforce needed to build top-quality vehicles.”
 
“Toyota is to be commended for its long history of investing in U.S. facilities such as this assembly plant in Mississippi, and the resulting creation of tens of thousands of quality jobs.  Toyota’s growing success in exporting U.S.-made vehicles is further evidence of its commitment to the U.S. manufacturing sector,” said Chandra Brown, deputy assistant secretary for manufacturing, U.S. Department of Commerce, International Trade Administration.  “Expanding exports and foreign investment are two of the primary priorities of the Department of Commerce.  We are extremely pleased to have Toyota as a valued ally in these efforts.”
 
More than 7,500 Mississippi-built Corollas will be exported this year to 18 countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean.  Nine U.S.-assembled Toyota models from all four of the company’s U.S. vehicle assembly plants are now exported to 32 countries around the world.
 
Toyota’s exports in 2013 totaled more than 130,000 units – a 5 percent increase from the previous year and an all-time high for the company.  Toyota, which began exporting U.S.-assembled vehicles in 1988, expects that its volume of exports will grow as the company capitalizes on the improving North American and global automotive market. 
 
The Corolla, now in its 11^th generation, is the world’s most popular compact sedan. The 40 millionth unit sold worldwide last summer.
 
Toyota Mississippi directly employs 2,000 and represents an $800 million investment.  Since November 2011, Toyota has announced 11 new investments in North America manufacturing facilities, totaling $2.1 billion and increasing employment by 4,000.