Toyota will invest $383 million in four of its US-based manufacturing plants. This sizeable investment supports the production of four-cylinder engines used in both Toyota and Lexus models.

Thanks to this investment, Toyota will be able to build more hybrid powertrains for its American audience.

"Toyota customers want vehicles that are fuel-efficient and electrified," said Norm Bafunno, senior vice president, Unit Manufacturing and Engineering, Toyota. "These investments allow us to meet customer needs and quickly respond to an evolving market. We are committed to investing in the US, and our teams are ready to take on this new challenge."

Upgrades will be made to facilities in Alabama, Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee.

The Toyota Alabama plant will get a new four-cylinder production line that will give it the capacity to produce more ICE and hybrid electric powertrains. The footprint of the plant will expand by 114,000 square feet, even though it already has the capacity to build 900,000 engines annually. Since building the plant in 2003, Toyota has invested nearly $1.5 billion in it.

Toyota Kentucky will be expanding the flexibility of the four-cylinder engine range announced for it last year. The plant's powertrain facility can produce up to 600,000 units per year.

This plant is also Toyota's biggest plant globally and is responsible for a total of seven Toyota and Lexus models. These models include the Lexus ES Hybrid, Camry, and RAV4 Hybrid. It also builds six-cylinder engines. To date, Toyota has invested $8.5 billion in the Kentucky economy.

Toyota Missouri's investment provides new equipment to build four-cylinder engine heads on three production lines. So far Toyota has invested $564 million in this plant. It currently has the capacity to produce three million cylinder heads annually.

Toyota Tennessee will update equipment to build new four-cylinder engine blocks. The plant has the capacity to produce more than 2 million engine blocks annually and represents a $425 million investment.

Toyota's US operations currently produce half of the vehicles it sells locally, and its North American facilities produce 76 percent of vehicles sold here.

This is merely the first of many steps in a $5.1 billion investment in US-based manufacturing facilities to support its electrification efforts.