Social media posts last month claimed Toyota had decided to move an auto manufacturing plant from Huntsville, Ala., to Ontario. The company says the claim is false. The claim originated from online accounts that appear to generate their content using artificial intelligence.

The claim:

As Canada’s auto sector struggles under the weight of U.S. tariffs, some social media users celebrated news of a supposed “win” for the industry.

Multiple posts claimed Japanese automaker Toyota planned to move its manufacturing plant in Huntsville, Ala., to Ontario.

“Toyota just pulled the plug on their $9-billion plant in Alabama and gave it to Canada,” claimed a Feb. 19 post on the X platform, formerly Twitter, with around 44,000 likes.

On Threads, a post with around 48,000 likes claimed the planned plant would bring 4,000 jobs to Canada. Other posts on Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok made similar claims about an existing or planned electric vehicle factory moving to Canada; some claimed it was a $7-billion move.

The facts:

“There is no truth to this,” Toyota Canada media spokesperson Michael Bouliane wrote in an email.

There are no company announcements or news reports that support the claim.

The Mazda Toyota manufacturing facility in Huntsville was announced in 2018 and completed in 2021, with the goal of hiring 4,000 employees.

The plant remains operational, and in June 2024 Toyota announced a US$282-million investment in the facility.

The $7 billion and $9 billion figures cited in the...

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