The fat lady is about to sing at the new Toyota Technical Center near Ann Arbor.

Most of the work on the new $150-plus complex in York Township is finished and workers are starting to move into the facility. Construction is expected to finish by September and a grand opening is planned for later in the fall.

The new state-of-the-art research and development facility will eventually house about 1,000 employees. They will conduct research and development, along with crash testing on the automaker's 600-acre parcel just saouth of Ann Arbor near the intersection of U.S. 23 and Willis Road.

Toyota has traditionally done its engineering for its North American products out of Ann Arbor since the 1970s. Hundreds of engineers, scientists and other personnel work for Toyota at one of its now three locations around Ann Arbor.

More money is invested in automotive-related R&D in Michigan every year than in all other 49 states combined, according to the National Science Foundation and the Center for Automotive Research.

Source: Toyota and state of Michigan
Writer: Jon Zemke