Toyota sending some workers to Subaru plant in Lafayette

The IBJ

The decision by Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana to stop assembling Tundra pickup trucks at its plant in Princeton will result in as many as 40 of its workers being transferred temporarily to the Subaru of Indiana Automotive Inc. assembly plant in Lafayette.

Subaru, which assembles Camry sedans for Toyota, will absorb the Toyota workers as positions become available through attrition, according to The Journal & Courier of Lafayette. The shift will begin in mid-September.

Toyota said in July that it would consolidate Tundra production at its new plant in San Antonio, and later announced that the Princeton plant would assemble its Highlander sport-utility vehicle beginning in late 2009. The changes were prompted by buyers' switching to more fuel-efficient vehicles as gas prices soared.

Toyota has said it would lay off none of its 4,500 workers at the Princeton plant.