Where Are Toyota Cars Made?

From humble beginnings in Japan to becoming one of the biggest automotive manufacturers in the world: the Toyota Motor Corporation is hugely popular for its reliable and forward-thinking vehicles.

Of course, Toyota’s popularity is not just limited to Japan. The Toyota Carolla is the world’s best-selling car, with over 50 million units sold in total. Toyota vehicles are loved by drivers everywhere – yes, even the Prius.

To support its extraordinary output of almost 10 million vehicles a year, the Toyota Motor Corporation owns a number of state-of-the-art production facilities across the globe.

So where exactly does this legendary Japanese megabrand build its cars? Let’s find out!

Where Toyota cars are made

Toyota manufactures its cars in Japan, North America, South America and several other countries within Europe and Asia. The Toyota Motor Corporation headquarters its operations in Aichi, Japan.

Toyota currently operates sixteen factories in Japan. Nine of these facilities are based in the city of Toyota, which is located within the Aichi Prefecture. Yep – Toyota has an entire city in Japan named after them.

In the United States, Toyota owns a total of fourteen manufacturing facilities. Its biggest factory is located in Georgetown, Kentucky with a total of 9,300 employees. Their newest factory in Hunstville, Alabama is a joint venture with Mazda Motor Corporation and was officially opened in 2021.

Toyota manufacturing also has a strong presence in Europe. France, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Russia, Turkey and the United Kingdom are just a small selection of the countries that benefit from having Toyota factories.

Where are most Toyota cars made?

The majority of Toyota vehicles are built in Japan, the home of the Toyota Motor Corporation. Toyota cars assembled in Japan include the Corolla, RAV4, Camry, Prius and Yaris.

With sixteen Toyota facilities in Japan alone, the country is the largest exporter of Toyota vehicles. Many of Toyota’s most popular models are built and shipped from Japan to happy customers across the world.

Toyota’s largest production plant is based in Georgetown, Kentucky (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky). The Kentucky plant is responsible for building new Lexus vehicles, as well as the much-loved Toyota Camry.

If you own a Toyota, you might be curious about where it has been assembled. Read on to find out how you can tell.

How to tell where your Toyota was made

The most accurate way of identifying where your Toyota vehicle was made is to check the first two or three letters of your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Use our table below to identify where your model was manufactured.

The first three digits of a VIN number are known as a World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). For most production vehicles, this allows you to trace the car back to its country of origin.

You can find your VIN number on the title or registration documents for your car. It can also be found on the cowl panel, or on a metal plate in the inner driver’s door sill. 

WIM Number	Country of Origin
J–	Japan
N–	Turkey
Y–	France
2–	Canada
3–	Mexico
4–	USA
5–	USA

FAQs

Are Toyota vehicles made in China?

Toyota currently operates five production plants in China. All plants are joint ventures between Toyota and other motor companies. Toyota vehicles produced in China include the Corolla, RAV4, C-HR and Highlander.

Who owns Toyota?

The Toyota brand is owned by the Toyota Motor Corporation, which is headquartered in Aichi, Japan. The Toyota Motor Corporation produces vehicles under five brands: Toyota, Daihatsu, Lexus, Hino and Ranz.

Where is the Toyota Supra made?

The Toyota Supra is assembled at a plant in Styria, Austria. Toyota doesn’t own this plant: it is owned by an automobile manufacturer called Magna Steyr, which also builds vehicles for brands like BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.

Where is the Toyota Camry made?

If you’re driving a Toyota Camry in the US, it’s highly likely that it came from Toyota’s Kentucky plant. The Kentucky plant is Toyota’s single biggest production facility, employing over 9,300 people in Georgetown.

Conclusion

Toyota relies on a network of global facilities to satisfy the demand for its vehicles. It’s hard to visualize just how popular Toyota’s vehicles are – but it looks like they’re here to stay.

There is a general consensus among car enthusiasts that Japanese cars are the most reliable cars you can buy. Whether you believe this or not, Toyota has built a solid reputation on the toughness of its engines. It’s not uncommon to see a Toyota engine hit 250,000 miles on the odometer.

So, tell us – which Toyota vehicle do you own? Let us know below!