Toyota has announced that it would export U.S.-built Corolla sedans to 18 nations in Latin America and the Caribbean next year. Toyota had exported 124,000 US-made vehicles to 21 global markets last year, and with the new Corolla, Toyota expects to beat that record.
Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America -
The export of U.S.-built Corolla sedans to Latin America and the Caribbean will help to further solidify our U.S. manufacturing base.
Production of the next gen Corolla revealed earlier this year, for export markets, will begin in April 2014, and 7,500 units are expected to board ships to Latin America and the Caribbean islands. The Corolla is made at Toyota's Tupelo Mississippi plant which employs 2,000 people and is built with an investment of $800 million. Currently this plant makes the Corolla for the domestic demand with an annual production capacity of 224k vehicles a year.
As the Corolla is the world's most popular car brand, Toyota also operates plants in Canada and Brazil to meet its demand in the Americas.