Production has started at Toyota Alabama in Huntsville on the automaker’s i-FORCE 2.4-liter turbo engine line, the first fruit of a $222 million expansion.

The project, launched back in 2021 at the Huntsville engine plant, will provide powertrains for the all-new Tacoma pickup.

It’s the plant’s sixth building expansion. In all, Toyota has invested about $1.5 billion into its Alabama motor plant, which produces about a third of the Toyota engines in the U.S. Last year, the factory produced a record 777,000 engines. It opened in 2003.

Huntsville is Toyota’s only plant to build four-cylinder, V-6 and twin-turbo engines in one location.

Toyota Alabama President Jason Puckett called the start of production “a significant milestone for Toyota Alabama and further supports job stability for our 2,000 employees.”

“Now, with Tacoma offering a hybrid option, every line at our plant includes engines for hybrid vehicles,” he said. “It’s our team and their skills that have paved the way for this plant to play a critical role in Toyota’s efficient and electrified future.”

Alabama Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce, said Toyota Alabama “has an extensive track record of success, and we’re proud of the workforce in Huntsville that has helped make all of that possible.”