DETROIT (AP) — Toyota says it will invest $80 million in a Canadian factory to build more RAV-4 small sport utility vehicles.
The investment in Woodstock, Ontario, near Toronto will create 400 new jobs early next year. The company plans to raise the plant's output from 150,000 to 200,000 vehicles per year.
Toyota says it is optimistic that North American sales are rebounding.
RAV-4 sales in the U.S. are down 5 percent through February at nearly 22,500. But many industry analysts are predicting that U.S. auto sales will rebound this year to more than 14 million vehicles. Last year's sales were only 12.8 million.
The Woodstock factory and plants in nearby Cambridge, Ontario, employ about 6,500 workers.