Toyota to invest $6.4 billion annually in factory automation

Toyota Motor Corporation plans to invest approximately 1 trillion yen (about $6.4 billion) annually starting in 2028 to modernize its manufacturing facilities through increased automation and robotics.

The initiative aims to deploy roughly 400,000 robots across the company’s ecosystem, including 150,000 in its own plants and 250,000 within its group companies and major suppliers. This investment covers the replacement of existing machinery as well as the introduction of new technology, ranging from traditional industrial robots to specialized humanoid models.

A key component of this strategy is the development of the Eley (Embodied Learning Robot For Enhanced Yield), a 50-kilogram AI-supported robot designed to learn through physical interaction. Unlike humanoids with legs, Eley utilizes a wheeled platform for stability and features a two-finger gripper system. The goal is to create a production environment where humans and machines can work side-by-side to address labor shortages and aging infrastructure.