Toyota moves production of popular Tacoma pickup from Mexico to the US

The Toyota Tacoma has been the best-selling mid-size pickup truck in the United States for more than two decades, but its current fourth generation is produced exclusively in Mexico at the TMMBC plant in the city of Tijuana. From 2030, the Tacoma will be built at Toyota's plant in San Antonio (Texas, USA), into the expansion and modernisation of which the Japanese company will invest $3.6 billion.

The relocation of Toyota Tacoma production from Mexico to the United States is a direct consequence of the protectionist policies of the current US President, Donald Trump. As early as autumn last year, Toyota announced its intention to invest $10 billion in the development of its US business; the expansion of the San Antonio plant is part of these investments. Last spring, Toyota announced its intention to increase the capacity of its vehicle assembly plants in the states of Kentucky and Indiana. In total, Toyota currently operates eleven plants in the United States.

The Toyota plant in San Antonio was launched in 2006 and today produces the full-size Tundra pickup truck and the related body-on-frame Sequoia SUV. The plant's current capacity is around 200,000 vehicles per year. By the end of this year, a rear axle assembly line should be operational at the plant, and the $3.6 billion investment will fund the next phase of the facility's development.

By 2030, the plant's footprint will roughly double, with a new building to be erected alongside the existing structures to house a second vehicle assembly line, increasing capacity by 150,000 vehicles per year and growing the workforce from the current 4,000 to approximately 6,000 people. The total investment made by Toyota in the San Antonio plant since construction began in 2003 will reach $8.3 billion by 2030.

The fourth-generation Toyota Tacoma made its debut in 2023, and 2025 proved to be a record year for the model in the United States: sales surged by 42.4% to 274,638 units. This year, Tacoma sales in the US continue to grow, with 143,848 units sold in the first quarter (+9.9%). Given current sales volumes for the Tundra, Sequoia and Tacoma, the San Antonio plant's capacity of 350,000 vehicles per year may not be sufficient to meet all demand for these models. As a result, Tacoma production at the TMMBC (Toyota Motor Manufacturing Baja California) plant in Mexico will continue, with some vehicles from there being supplied to the United States.

It should also be noted that the USMCA free trade agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada governs duty-free trade and also regulates the required level of localisation for vehicles and automotive components destined for the US market. The Trump administration has refused to renew this agreement automatically, seeking to make it more favourable to the United States and to better shield itself from Chinese vehicles, which are currently making significant inroads into the Mexican market. In short, thanks to Trump's efforts, the USMCA agreement could lose its purpose altogether, and major automakers such as Toyota prefer not to wait for the outcome of Trump's geopolitical manoeuvres, instead pre-emptively relocating production to the United States.