Area Development
Toyota Motor Corporation will assemble its Prius hybrid vehicle in the United States for the first time beginning in late 2010 at the company's Blue Springs, Mississippi, plant, currently under construction. According to a company statement, building the vehicles in the United States "enables Toyota to better respond to increased consumer demand for hybrid vehicles." At the same time, General Motors (GM) has announced that its new Chevrolet Cruze compact vehicle will be produced at its plant in Lordstown, Ohio, and will replace the Chevrolet Cobalt that is current built at that facility. Production of the new car is expected to begin in mid-2010.