Toyota Motor Corp. plans to shift production of Highlander sport utility vehicles to Indiana from Japan in late 2013 in a move to turn North America into its global production base amid the yen's record-high levels.
Production of the Highlander at the automaker's plant in Princeton, Indiana, is expected to increase by 50,000 units to about 330,000 vehicles, it said Wednesday. Around 30,000 vehicles were manufactured at Toyota's facility in Fukuoka Prefecture last year.
The carmaker plans to export about 30,000 vehicles of the additional output to countries including Russia and Australia.