Toyota runs a factory that turns out nothing but music and food
Audio By Carbonatix
When you hear “Toyota” and “factory,” you likely conjure images of hyper-efficient Japanese factory floors or the sprawling footprint of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky (TMMK) plant in Georgetown. You probably don’t, however, think of the Toyota Music Factory. And no, it’s not a plant for infotainment units. Or an indie band.
Irving, Texas, is home to the Toyota Music Factory, the brand’s only ‘factory’ that doesn’t produce RAV4s, cars, or parts
Toyota has a manufacturing presence in the US. Hell, the Japanese automaker has 14 manufacturing plants in North America, including the brand’s largest manufacturing plant in Kentucky. However, like Mercedes-Benz with the stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, Toyota has its irons in other fires, including a factory that promises music and food rather than batteries and completed vehicles.
It’s the “Toyota Music Factory,” a 17-acre mixed-use space in Irving, Texas. The “music” part of the equation is made up of The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory, an 8,000-seat amphitheater with a convertible roof to turn the space from an outdoor venue into an indoor one.
And Toyota’s not-really-a-factory space has attracted some talent. Notable acts to take the stage at The Pavilion include Bob Dylan, Harry Styles, Nine Inch Nails, Sting, and Olivia Rodrigo. Perhaps most noteworthy, legendary Texas rock band ZZ Top played a concert to celebrate the addition of the “Toyota” to the Music Factory.
But Toyota didn’t build this factory. It didn’t even buy the space outright. In 2017, Toyota acquired the naming rights to the Irving entertainment staple. So, why on Earth would Toyota care about an indoor-outdoor music venue and entertainment space? After all, this “factory” doesn’t really make anything other than good times. Well, Toyota moved its North American headquarters to Plano, Texas, from its previous California location that same year. Why not build a little positive name-recognition with Texans?
