The redesigned 2018 Toyota Camry began rolling off the assembly line earlier this week at the automaker’s Georgetown, Ky., plant.
Toyota said it hired more than 700 people to support production of the 2018 Camry, ratcheting up the plant’s employment ranks to more than 8,000 workers – an all-time high for the largest Toyota plant in the world.
The Georgetown facility has produced more than 8 million Camrys in its 31 years.
The 2018 Camry is the first vehicle in North America designed and manufactured with Toyota New Global Architecture, a new strategy for the way Toyota designs, engineers and manufactures its vehicles.
“The launch of the next-generation Camry is important for Toyota in America, and expands the company’s footprint in and commitment to Kentucky,” said Wil James, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky. “We are proud to be the first in North America to produce a vehicle with TNGA. It’s a testament to the skill and dedication of our team members.”
The eighth-generation Camry incorporates high-tensile-strength sheet metal and hot stamping materials – and an aluminum hood – to reduce the vehicle weight. Also, new construction techniques have led to the use of thinner body panels for the roof, hood, trunk lid, front and rear doors and front fenders compared to the previous model, according to Toyota.
