Toyota Motor Corp. is set to announce a $1.4 billion expansion of its Canadian operations to build the RAV4 sport utility vehicle, a bet on the nation’s manufacturing amid a cloud of uncertainty from ongoing NAFTA talks. The Japanese automaker is slated to make an announcement Friday afternoon at its facility in Cambridge, alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. The expansion in Cambridge and Woodstock will create 450 jobs, supported by $110 million in federal funding and possibly provincial support, said two people familiar with the plans who asked not to be identified before the official announcement. The two Ontario plants now employ about 8,000 people, and made more than 600,000 vehicles last year. Toyota and other automakers are shifting focus to meet consumers’ growing preference for SUVs over cars.

Source: thestar May 04, 2018 19:18 UTC