A First Outside of Japan: Toyota Prius Production Begins in Thailand
By John O'Dell November 30, 2010
Toyota Motor's Gateway assembly plant in Thailand began delivering 2011 Prius models to Thai dealers Monday, marking the first time the popular gas-electric hybrid has been built outside of Japan.
The plant, which also builds Toyota Camry, Camry Hybrid and Corolla models, is expected to turn out 12,000 Priuses a year for sale within the country.
Toyota executives said last month that Priuses built at the Gateway plant would not be exported.
The cars are to be priced from 1.19 million baht to 1.27 million baht ($39,300 to $49,850).
The U.S. initially had been slated to become the first overseas Prius production site, but the failing economy prompted Toyota to pull back those plans last year.
The company's new Mississippi assembly plant, which was delayed for a year and now is slated to go online late in 2011, will be used instead for Corolla production. Toyota has said that it likely won't begin building the Prius in the U.S. until the next model change, around 2016.
Photo by Toyota
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