The Rocket City has been called the economic engine of North Alabama.

One of the industries that helps power that engine is, coincidentally, the auto industry. And providing a spark to that is Toyota Alabama which reached a major milestone in its 23 years in Huntsville.

The local manufacturing plant recently assembled its 10 millionth engine, an i-Force MAX 2.4-liter, to power an all-new hybrid Tacoma.

“We are thrilled to celebrate this milestone and look forward to seeing where the next 10 million engines will take us,” said Jason Puckett, president of Toyota Alabama. “I feel a great sense of pride knowing team members are powering the heart of some of the most popular, reliable, and safest vehicles on the road.”

The facility, which first broke ground in 2001, assembles one-third of all Toyota engines in North America.

Senior manager of production Brandon French has been at the manufacturing plant since it opened.

“When the plant opened with only one production line more than 20 years ago, I was a part of the team that helped start engine production in Alabama,” French said. “Since starting on the production line, Toyota has challenged me to learn many different roles.

“I am proud to oversee the i-FORCE 2.4-liter turbo engine line and to know that I have been a part of us reaching this milestone since day one.”

Toyota Alabama’s 2,000 team members work to assemble more than 777,000 engines a year.

Courtesy of 256 Today.