Just nine months after Lexus parent Toyota announced plans to build the ES sedan in the United States, workers have begun constructing a new production line at the company’s Georgetown assembly complex. The expansion will cost Toyota $360 million and create an estimated 750 new jobs.
“Today’s milestone is symbolic of the bright future that lies ahead of us,” said Wil James, president of Toyota’s Kentucky plant. “We’re proud of our long history of building world-class vehicles in the Bluegrass, and look forward to raising the bar once again by adding Lexus to our lineup of Kentucky-made products.”
The ES, Lexus’s best-selling sedan, has been produced exclusively in Japan up to this point. Sales of the ES 350 grew by about 30 percent in 2013 to 72,581 units.
The new assembly line, which is scheduled to open in 2015, will have an annually capacity of 50,000 units, meaning Lexus will still have to import some ES models from Japan.
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