Toyota Puts $34 Million Into Its Princeton Plant for a New Scion Mini Truck, Adding About 50 Jobs

ON THE RADAR

PRINCETON, Ind. — Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana will invest $34 million and create approximately 50 new jobs at its Princeton plant to assemble the KEI-01, the first vehicle from Toyota's new Scion by Toyota brand, Gov. Mike Braun and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation announced Nov. 10.

According to the state and the Toyota release, the money will establish new vehicle assembly operations and upgrade production and logistics infrastructure at the plant. Toyota describes the KEI-01 as "an ultra-compact utility truck," a low-speed vehicle with a maximum speed of 25 miles per hour, and says it will be "an intentionally low-volume, niche vehicle" sold first through a fleet-focused pilot program, with limited retail sales possible later. Assembly is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2027. Toyota's only stated reason for building it in Indiana is that assembly there "represents the company's continued commitment to investing in the U.S. and American jobs"; neither release explains why Princeton was chosen over Toyota's other U.S. plants. Neither release mentions state or local incentives.

Location Decision analysis: In dollars and headcount this is a small addition to a very large plant. The state says Toyota has invested more than $8.2 billion in Princeton and employs nearly 8,000 associates there, so the 50 new jobs equal about 0.6% of the workforce (50 ÷ 8,000) and the $34 million is about 0.4% of the plant's cumulative investment ($34 million ÷ $8.2 billion). What stands out is the product. Princeton builds three Toyota models and one Lexus model, per the IEDC release; the KEI-01 is a 25-mph fleet vehicle that Toyota itself says will be built in low volume. Our inference, not Toyota's: the practical question for the plant is less about hiring and more about line space and logistics, fitting a niche, separate assembly operation into a high-volume plant, which is consistent with the releases' emphasis on new assembly operations and logistics upgrades.

The more useful context is Princeton's last big Toyota commitment. In April 2024, the IEDC announced a $1.4 billion investment to assemble an all-new battery electric SUV there, including a new battery pack assembly line, with "up to 340 new jobs by the end of 2025." In July 2025, a Toyota spokesperson told Inside INdiana Business that electric SUV assembly would move to Kentucky, that a large part of the $1.4 billion was for the battery pack plant in Princeton, and that details on new jobs for the site would come later. The Nov. 10 releases do not mention the 2024 commitment, so it is not clear whether the KEI-01 work is related to it. Readers should not add the two figures together.

Whether KEI-01 assembly starts in the second half of 2027, as Toyota says. Hiring against the approximately 50 announced jobs; an announced job is not a hire, and no hiring timeline was given. Whether the state discloses any incentive for this project; none was stated. How large the fleet pilot is and whether Toyota moves to the retail sales it says it may consider. Whether Toyota or the IEDC updates the status of the 2024 Princeton commitment, the $1.4 billion and up to 340 jobs tied to the battery pack line, which these releases leave unaddressed.

WISH-TV, Nov. 10, 2026: Toyota Investing $34 Million in Indiana Plant, Adding 50 Jobs

Indianapolis Business Journal, Nov. 10, 2026: Toyota plans to invest $34M, build new utility vehicle at Princeton manufacturing plant

Indiana Economic Development Corporation: official website and Location Decision profile, checked Nov. 11, 2026. Toyota media inquiries go through the Toyota USA Newsroom. Neither release lists a named project or hiring contact, so none is confirmed here.