Fast-growing markets like the Middle-East, Russia and China, where fuel-hungry SUVs still sell in high numbers, could allow Toyota to ramp up production at one of its under-utilized U.S. factories. According to Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun, Toyota will begin shipping the Sequoia large SUV (pictured) to the Middle East later this year and the Sienna minivan as early as 2010 to China and other markets.
Both models are built at a plant in Indiana but extra capacity could be utilized at Toyota’s Texas light truck facility.
Toyota currently sells all vehicles built in the U.S. within North America except for the Avalon sedan, which it already exports to the Middle East in limited numbers.