The 2027 Toyota Highlander EV is set to become Toyota’s first three-row EV for the U.S., and its battery supply will now carry a “Made in America” stamp. The SUV will be assembled at Toyota’s Kentucky plant, while its battery cells will come from LG Energy Solution’s newly operational facility in Lansing, Michigan.
LG’s Michigan Battery Plant Begins Production
LG Energy Solution has started production this week at its 226-acre Lansing facility, a $2.6 billion site designed to produce batteries for electric vehicles and energy storage. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to produce more than 35 gigawatt-hours of batteries annually.
For Toyota, the Lansing facility will manufacture energy-dense nickel-manganese-cobalt cells for the 2027 Highlander EV. That gives the new SUV a battery supply chain that is now mostly based in the U.S.
How Lansing Connects to the Highlander EV
The 2027 Highlander EV is not yet available to order, after Toyota pushed back production to next year. While the timing for when the vehicles will reach driveways remains unknown, Toyota has confirmed that assembly will take place at its Kentucky plant, with batteries supplied by LG’s new Lansing facility.
About 900 people currently work at the Lansing plant, and that workforce is expected to nearly double as production ramps up. LG Energy Solution has invested more than $2 billion at the site since 2022 and more than $5 billion in Michigan since 2010.
From GM Joint Venture to Toyota Customer
The Lansing facility was originally planned as a GM-LG joint venture, but GM exited the arrangement in December 2024, leaving LG Energy Solution to operate the plant on its own.
The change came as GM reconsidered its Michigan EV production plans amid demand that had not developed as expected. With that shift, Toyota became Lansing’s main automotive customer.
Tesla Will Also Get Lansing Batteries
Toyota will not be the only automaker using LG’s expanded Michigan battery production. Next year, the Lansing plant is scheduled to begin producing prismatic cells and add another major customer: Tesla.
The facility is also producing lithium-iron phosphate cells for energy storage. LG Energy Solution Vertech will use those batteries in systems designed for utilities and large industrial applications, with DTE Energy among the first customers expected to use batteries made in Lansing.
LG Expands Battery Production Across Michigan
LG Energy Solution aims to produce more than 50 gigawatt-hours of LFP cells in North America by the end of 2026. Along with its Holland, Michigan, plant, the Lansing facility is expanding the company’s battery production footprint across the state.
For the 2027 Toyota Highlander EV, the Michigan connection is already clear: the SUV will be assembled in Kentucky and powered by battery cells produced at LG Energy Solution’s new Lansing facility.
