Toyota builds a battery factory for Lexus

The island of Kyushu (Nagasaki) will become the home of the electrified range

By: Eleonora Lilli

Jul 29, 2024 at 4:30am ET

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California has Silicon Valley, Japan has the island of Kyushu. The name 'Kyushu' may not sound familiar (unless you're a fan of the Pokémon series), but this island (a tropical paradise with active volcanoes, beaches, waterfalls... and no fewer than four natural parks) is the third largest of the four large islands that make up the Japanese archipelago and is home to the city of Nagasaki, which became infamous for the explosion of the atomic bomb during the Second World War.

Kyushu is home to numerous car (Lexus, Daihatsu and Nissan) and semiconductor (Sony) factories. Toyota has decided to build a battery factory there, an investment that will make the island a central point in the world's leading manufacturer's electric vehicle supply chain, as well as its export base to the whole of Asia.

Close to the Lexus factory

The new battery plant will be built in Fukuoka Prefecture, in northern Kyushu, and will be funded by Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry under the Economic Security Promotion Act.

Toyota's battery production subsidiary, Primearth EV Energy, will operate the plant, which will be located just 40 kilometres from Toyota's Miyata plant, where Lexus cars are assembled. The Japanese manufacturer is aiming to make the entire Lexus range electric by 2035.

First results in 2026

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The new battery plant will be the main supplier to the Miyata plant, which has an annual production capacity of 430,000 vehicles, 90% of which are exported.

Details, including the construction schedule, will be decided shortly, but we already know that Toyota is aiming to sell 3.5 million EVs a year worldwide by 2030 and sees the Lexus brand as crucial to its strategy (the first high-performance battery model will debut in 2026).