Where Are Toyota 4Runners Made? (Solved & Explained)

The name ‘4Runner’ comes from the fact that the Toyota 4Runner is a four-wheel-drive SUV designed for off-road adventures.

No wonder this SUV is often recommended for challenging terrain and safari adventures.

Where is this formidable vehicle made? You will find out below.

Where Are Toyota 4Runners Being Made?

Right from the onset of the 4Runner till the present, the bulk of these foreign-made SUVs have always been produced in Japan.

Although Toyota let the Zhuhai factory in China produce the 4Runner for a while, it restored all production back to Japan after 6 years. Today, Japan is the sole manufacturer of the Toyota 4Runner.

The Tahara and Hamura manufacturing plants are the only two factories in Japan where the 4Runner has been built. The most recent 4Runner was made at the Tahara factory in Aichi, Japan.

Are Toyota 4Runners for the US Market Produced in the US?

The United States of America does not produce its own Toyota 4Runners. Rather, the US market sources its Toyota 4Runners from Aichi, Japan.

Keep an eye on our article which explains about How Long do Toyota 4Runner Last?

Are They Assembled in the US?

No US factory assembles the 4Runner. The only factory that makes Toyota 4Runners is located in Aichi, Japan.

How Can You Check for the Specific Place Where a 4Runner Was Produced?

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on your 4Runner can tell you where your vehicle was made. This number contains all the basic information about your car, and it is located on your metal dashboard.

Although the VIN has 17 characters, only the first one states where your car was produced. This character may be a letter or number, based on the continent where your car’s manufacturing plant is situated.

While numbers indicate that your car was built on the American continent, letters indicate that it was produced outside America.

Since the 4Runner has only been built in Japan and China, the first digit on your VIN will certainly be any of these letters:

• L, which refers to China or
• J, which refers to Japan

Please also read our article about driving the Toyota 4Runner in snow and winter.

Are Japanese or European Built 4Runners Better?

Since Toyota 4Runners have never been made in any European country, there are no vehicles to compare against each other.

Where Is the 4Runner Designed?

The 4Runner was designed in Japan under the chief designer, Masaaki Ishiko. A subsequent redesign was created for fifth generation 4Runners in Japan by Koichi Suga.

Where Are 4Runners Made for the Australian Market?

Toyota makes 4Runners for its Australian market at the Tahara factory in Aichi, Japan.

Where Are 4Runners Made for the Canadian Market?

All the Toyota 4Runners sold in Canada are built at the Tahara plant in Aichi, Japan.

Where Are 4Runners Made for the UK Market?

Toyota stopped selling the 4Runner in the UK in 1996. The company replaced it with the Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which was re-badged as the Land Cruiser Colorado for the UK market.

Make sure to also read our article on 11 Toyota 4Runner statistics.

Is Toyota Planning to Move Its Production?

At the moment, Toyota has no plans to move production of the 4Runner to any new countries.

While Japan currently holds sole jurisdiction over the production of the 4Runner, Toyota once expanded its production to China.

However, the company moved the production of the vehicle out of China six years later. Toyota has left all the business of manufacturing the 4Runner to Japan since then.

Look into our article which reads about 3 Most Common Problems With Toyota 4Runner

Is Toyota Hiring or Firing in the US?

Toyota has employed new members of staff in the US this year.

In August, the company released announcements of job vacancies in several of its US branches on job websites.

Toyota’s hiring policy does not discriminate against race or gender, even in employment into top positions. The company makes it a point of duty to employ females into 40% of administrative positions every year.

Unfortunately, Toyota suffered a plunge in its sales this year due to the effect of a global slowdown in demand for vehicles.

Some aspiring owners of Toyota vehicles lost their jobs. So, they couldn’t afford to buy them any longer.

In addition, US factories could not produce their expected units of vehicles because of supply chain problems.

Toyota assured the public that unlike its counterparts, it will not lay off the bulk of its US staff. Rather, it intends to reduce the wages of 5000 ad hoc staff.

Permanent members of staff will also have to let go of two days’ worth of pay from their salaries.

Also check our article about where Toyota RAV4s are made.

Is Toyota an American Company?

Toyota is not an American company. It is a Japanese organization with branches all over the world.

Of all these branches, the US is one of the most influential. In fact, Toyota’s US branch has produced quite a few Toyota models. The models in question include:

• Toyota Avalon: Built at the Georgetown plant, Kentucky, USA.
• Toyota Sienna: Produced in the Georgetown and Princeton plant, USA.
• Toyota Tundra: Built at the Princeton factory, Indiana, and the San Antonio factory, Texas, USA.
• Toyota RAV4: Built at the Georgetown factory, USA, and Russia, Canada, China, and Japan.
• Toyota Tacoma: Built in San Antonio, Texas, USA; and Mexico.
• Toyota Highlander: Produced at the Princeton plant, Indiana, USA.
• Toyota Corolla: Produced at the Mississippi factory, USA, and Japan, China, Brazil, and Turkey.
• Toyota Camry: Built at the Georgetown factory in Kentucky, USA, and Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and India.

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