(Evening Standard (London) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 11--TOYOTA, caught by surprise by the runaway popularity of its hybrid petrol-electric, will begin building them in the US after stocks have sold out.

In a stark sign Americans really are abandoning their gas-guzzlers, it is to begin making the low-emissions car on a Mississippi site formerly earmarked for the Highlander sport utility vehicle.

Sales of the Prius in North America fell 26 percent last month because dealers sold out as petrol prices rose. Toyota hopes to plug the gap with the... // TMCnet

DETROIT (AP) - Toyota Motor Corp., the seemingly unstoppable juggernaut that saw its U.S. sales double in the last decade, has come back down to earth. Stung by rare double-digit sales declines and burdened by a growing inventory of slow-selling pickups, Toyota said Thursday it will start producing the Prius hybrid in the U.S. and will shut down truck and SUV production to meet changing consumer demands. // IBTimes Hong Kong

Christian Science Monitor (Enlarge photo)

Toyota announced Thursday that it will begin manufacturing its iconic Prius hybrid in the United States for the first time.

According to a Toyota press release , the Prius will be built at a plant under construction in Blue Springs, Miss. Production is scheduled to begin in late 2010.

According to the press release, the Mississippi plant was originally to build Highlander SUVs. Those will now be built at a Toyota plant in in Princeton, Ind. Currently,... // Christian Science Monitor

Prius to Be Built at Mississippi Plant

Tokyo TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC), with a long-term aim toward enhancing its ability to flexibly respond to rapid fluctuations in North American market demand and toward facilitating a stable supply of North American-made vehiclesannounces the following changes to its North American production structure:

1) The currently under-construction Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi, Inc. (TMMMS), which was originally scheduled to produce the "Highlander" SUV, is to instead begin production of the "Prius" hybrid in the latter half of 2010.

2) Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc. (TMMI) is to begin production of the Highlander in the fall of 2009.

3) Production of the "Tundra" full-size pickup truck, currently built at TMMI and Toyota Motor... // WebWire

Toyota has announced that it will be producing American-market versions of its third-generation Prius in Mississippi.

Still under construction, the new Mississippi plant was originally intended to build the Highlander SUV, but with demand for big 4x4s falling in the States, Toyota has taken the decision to shift American production of the Prius there. Cars will be built there for the US market, but those for other markets including the UK will still be built in the Tsutfemi factory in Japan.

The third generation of Prius goes on sale early next year, with the first two... // Autocar

Toyota originally planned to produce a large SUV at its new manufacturing facility in Mississippi, but will instead build the Prius hybrid electric there from 2010.

The change in plans was driven by fluctuations in market demand in the US, a market where the strong demand for hybrid vehicles is expected to continue, the manufacturer said.

It will be the second hybrid vehicle built in the US; Toyota already builds the Camry Hybrid in... // Wheels24.co.za

DETROIT — Toyota acknowledged recently that, like its rival automakers in Detroit, it misjudged the dramatic swing in the U.S. market away from larger vehicles.

With sales of pickups and big SUVs tumbling, Toyota said it will shut down truck production at two U.S. plants for three months and consolidate its pickups into one factory next year.

The Japanese automaker also said it will begin making its Prius gas-electric hybrids in a new plant in Mississippi by late 2010 to meet demand for more-fuel-efficient vehicles.

"It shows that Toyota is just as fallible as anybody else," said Joseph Phillippi, a principal with AutoTrends Consulting. "They're human after all."

While overall vehicle sales have dropped 10 percent so far this year, sales of large pickups are down about 25 percent... // Barre Montpelier Times Argus

The company said Thursday it will start producing the Prius in late 2010 at a plant it is building in Blue Springs, Miss. Toyota already builds a hybrid version of the Camry sedan in Kentucky, but this will be the first time the Prius, which has been on sale for more than a decade, will be built outside of Japan and China.

The company will suspend production of the Toyota Tundra pickup at its San Antonio truck plant and the Toyota Sequoia sport utility vehicle at its Princeton, Ind., plant for three months starting Aug. 8 because of declining demand. Next spring, it will stop producing Tundras in Princeton and will consolidate all truck production in San Antonio.

The Princeton plant will now make the Toyota Highlander SUV, which originally was scheduled to be made in Mississippi. The... // Eagle Tribune

(Japan Times Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jul. 12--Facing surging gasoline prices and strong demand for fuel-efficient cars, Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production of large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States from early August to November.

The decision was prompted by a 21 percent plunge in Toyota's U.S. sales in June.

This contrasts clearly with results at Honda Motor Co., which chalked up a slight increase in sales in the U.S., where the second-biggest automaker in Japan doesn't manufacture large pickups.

"I think Toyota's plan is a quick and realistic step that reflects the current sales environment," said Atsushi Kawai, a senior analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities Co.

He also said the decline in the popularity of large pickup trucks is "bad luck" for... // TMCnet

Jul 12, 2008 (Japan Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- TM | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating -- Facing surging gasoline prices and strong demand for fuel-efficient cars, Toyota Motor Corp. will suspend production of large pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles in the United States from early August to November.

Japan's top automaker will also produce its popular Prius gasoline-electric hybrid model in the late 2010s at an assembly plant being built in Mississippi, dropping its initial plan to produce the Highlander midsize SUV, a Toyota spokeswoman said Friday.

The decision apparently marks a turnaround in Toyota's strategy in North America, where it made a foray into the market for full-size pickup trucks last year to penetrate one of the last... // Trading Markets

ATLANTA - Working to resolve his financial problems, former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield reached agreement Wednesday in a child-support case and avoided a court hearing that could have led to a call for jail time.

Randy Kessler, attorney for the mother of Holyfield's 10-year-old son, said the boxer paid $9,000 in back child support and agreed to meet his other financial obligations within a month, including private school payments, health insurance and a college trust fund.

The 45-year-old Holyfield also agreed to pay some of the attorney fees for Kessler's client, Toi Irvin. The agreement was reached before a scheduled deposition and two days before a court hearing, at which Kessler was planning to ask for jail time if Holyfield didn't pay up.

Irvin went to court after... // Carlisle Sentinel

Stewart joined JGR in a developmental role in 1997 while he was still competing in the IndyCar Series. He ran five races in the Busch Series (now known as the Nationwide Series) for JGR that year, and also won the IRL championship. He expanded his Busch schedule in 1998 to 22 events in preparation of his move to full-time NASCAR in the Cup Series.

His arrival helped JGR expand to two teams, and Stewart made an immediate impact on the Cup Series. He set a rookie record with three victories in 1999 while winning rookie of the year honors. It began a 10-year run with Stewart winning at least two events a season.

Stewart finished seventh or higher in the season standings in all but one season -- 2006 when he failed to make the Chase but still won three of the final 10 races used to determine... // Idaho State Journal

Toyota announced Thursday morning that it will build its hot-selling Prius hybrid sedan at a new Mississippi plant that was initially intended to make Highlander SUVs.

Production is scheduled to begin in late 2010, with the U.S.-made Prius joining the company's Camry Hybrid to enable Toyota to better meet increasing consumer demand for fuel-efficient gasoline-electric hybrids.

Camry Hybrid's are already made at Toyota's Georgetown, Ky., plant. Erlanger-based Toyota Manufacturing North America said it's responding to changes in consumer demand and improving the production efficiency and stability of its North American operations by adjusting production mix at three plants.

The Highlander mid-size SUV, originally scheduled to be built in Mississippi, will now be manufactured in... // Milwaukee Business Journal

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) _ From his seat in the bright orange No. 20, Tony Stewart spent a decade driving his way to superstardom while helping Joe Gibbs Racing become one of NASCAR's top teams.

The partnership produced 32 victories, two Cup championships and more than $68 million in winnings. It also survived a flurry of storms created by one of the most tempestuous drivers in NASCAR history.

It was the perfect union, yet it left Stewart wanting... // Waxahachie Daily Light

Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Toyota Motor Corp. announced Thursday it will assemble its popular electric-gas hybrid, the Prius, in the United States for the first time.

The Japanese automaker will start building the Prius in 2010 at a plant in Blue Springs, MS - a factory initially set to assemble the Toyota Highlander SUV. The passenger vehicle will instead be built in another plant in Princeton, IN.

The industry-wide sales slump in June forced automakers to invest in unusual production changes. By building the Prius in the U.S., Toyota is... // Gant Daily

Tokyo, Japan (AHN) - Toyota Motor Corp. announced Thursday it will assemble its popular electric-gas hybrid, the Prius, in the United States for the first time.

The Japanese automaker will start building the Prius in 2010 at a plant in Blue Springs, MS - a factory initially set to assemble the Toyota Highlander SUV. The passenger vehicle will instead be built in another plant in Princeton, IN.

The industry-wide sales slump in June forced automakers to invest in unusual production changes. By building the Prius in the U.S., Toyota is... // AHN

Toyota, which is No. 2 in vehicle sales after General Motors Corp., plans to suspend temporarily its production of Tundra pickup trucks and the Sequoia sport utility vehicle, starting August 8. Suburban cowboys are dumping their trucks and SUVs in the face of higher gas prices, and Toyota is not immune. "They're facing the same structural problems as everybody else," said David Cole, chairman of the Center For Automotive Research in Ann Arbor. The names Tundra and Sequoia just scream "more $4 gas."

Production will halt at both the new Tundra plant in San Antonio, Texas, and one in Princeton, Ind. where the Sequoia was scheduled resume production in early November. "The truck market continues to worsen, so unfortunately we must temporarily suspend production," said Jim Wiseman, vice... // TIME

After reviewing options for months, a steeper-than-expected sales decline in June forced Toyota Motor Corp. to speed its decision to shuffle production sites for several vehicles and to bring assembly of the world's most popular hybrid, the Prius, to the United States.

On Thursday, Toyota announced assembly of the Prius gas-electric hybrid is scheduled for 2010 at a plant Toyota is building in Blue Springs, Miss. It was to assemble the Toyota Highlander SUV, but that car-based vehicle will instead be built in Princeton, Ind.

"It definitely makes sense to produce the vehicle here, which is the biggest market for the Prius," said Mike Omotoso, a senior manager at J.D. Power and Associates.

The falling dollar also has lowered production costs in the United States, making assembly of the... // Belleville News Democrat