Even as it’s going smoothly, Toyota’s move of its North American headquarters to Texas from California is taking on added importance for the U.S. auto industry: It’s one of the few places where a company’s balance of investment is shifting toward Flyover Country and away from the West Coast.
In fact, Toyota Motor North American CEO Jim Lentz was so eager to support the company’s move to Plano, Texas, from Torrance, Calif., that he and his wife were among the first people with the company to move physically from Southern California to the Lone Star State. About 200 Toyota folks in total comprised that first wave about two years ago, he said, and they set down an important marker for the ongoing transition.
