Toyota plans to build Lexus SUV in Cambridge

CAMBRIDGE, Ont. — Toyota will start building the Lexus NX SUV at its Cambridge, Ont., plant starting in 2022, the company announced Monday, saying the move demonstrates its commitment to staying in the province.

The plant will produce both a standard and hybrid version of the vehicle to supply the North American market.

Fred Volf, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, said the announcement is good news for Ontario autoworkers.

“It means that Toyota’s Canadian manufacturing operations are here to stay,” he said during a news conference at the plant held with the prime minister.

Toyota will have extra capacity at the plant after announcing in March that it would shift production of the hybrid RAV4 SUV to the U.S.

Last year, the company committed to invest $1.4 billion in its Cambridge and Woodstock plants in Ontario. The federal government committed $110 million to support the investment.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said government funding will always play a role in securing the future of the Canadian auto industry.

The new product announcement by Toyota comes after Ontario was hit by major job loss announcements recently.

General Motors Canada announced last November that it would close its Oshawa, Ont., plant by the end of 2019 at a loss of almost 3,000 jobs, while Fiat Chrysler said in March that it would cut a shift at its Windsor, Ont., plant later this year at a loss of about 1,500 jobs.