Could SC be home to a future 4,000-job auto plant?

The Palmetto State is reportedly among 11 states in the running for a $1.6 billion manufacturing facility for auto-parts manufacturers Toyota and Mazda, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The two automakers plan to jointly develop the facility, which would employ up to 4,000 workers and build about 300,000 cars per year, by 2021, according to the Journal.

A spokeswoman for the S.C. Commerce Department declined questions earlier this week to say whether South Carolina is pursuing the economic development deal, according to the Charleston Post and Courier.

Other states on the short list include Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, North Carolina and Texas, according to the Journal.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the automakers are looking for more than 1,000 acres and have been studying sites in the 11 states for about six months.

The Toyota-Mazda partnership likely will make its decision based on labor force and government incentives, the Journal reported. Both factors were also key in recent decisions by Mercedes-Benz Vans and Volvo Cars to build manufacturing plants in the Charleston region, The Post and Courier reported.

In addition to Volvo and Mercedes-Benz Vans, which are both building $500 million manufacturing campuses, South Carolina is also home to the world's largest BMW manufacturing site. The state's automotive industry includes more than 400 suppliers and other companies that employ about 66,000 workers, according to the The Post and Courier.

This story was originally published August 10, 2017 at 2:08 PM with the headline "Could SC be home to a future 4,000-job auto plant?."