BUFFALO, W.Va. (WVDN) – Governor Patrick Morrisey joined Toyota Motor Manufacturing West Virginia team members and community leaders to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Toyota breaking ground on its Buffalo manufacturing facility and proclaimed September 24, 2026, Toyota West Virginia Day.
“Thirty years ago, Toyota chose West Virginia. West Virginia delivered. And Toyota kept choosing West Virginia,” Governor Morrisey said. “Toyota has invested $3.3 billion here because generations of West Virginia workers have proven they can compete with anyone in the country and around the world. That is a partnership worth celebrating, and I look forward to seeing what Toyota and West Virginia accomplish together over the next 30 years.”
Toyota broke ground on its West Virginia plant in September 1996. Since then, the company has expanded the facility 11 times, with a 12th expansion underway as Toyota prepares to assemble its sixth-generation hybrid transaxle. The Buffalo facility has more than 2,000 Toyota team members, with the workforce reaching approximately 2,400 when contractors are included.
Toyota announced $541 million in investments in the West Virginia operation in 2025 to increase assembly of hybrid-compatible engines, sixth-generation hybrid transaxles and rear motor stators. Toyota West Virginia represents $3.3 billion in total investment and is Toyota’s only combined engine and transmission plant in North America.
“Economic development is about much more than making an announcement,” Governor Morrisey said. “The real test is what happens after the ribbon is cut. Toyota came to West Virginia, succeeded here, invested again and again, and built a relationship with this state that has now lasted 30 years. That is exactly the kind of long-term success we want to replicate across West Virginia.”
Since October 2025, approximately $96 billion in private-sector investment and more than 19,000 projected jobs have been announced in West Virginia. That’s nine times more than the best previous year on record. Toyota’s three decades of continued growth offer an example of what those investments can become over time as companies succeed, expand and create lasting opportunities in the Mountain State.
As part of today’s celebration, Governor Morrisey issued a proclamation recognizing September 24, 2026, as Toyota West Virginia Day, honoring Toyota’s investment, its workforce, its service to West Virginia communities and its continued commitment to advanced manufacturing in the Mountain State.
