Toyota begins Tundra production at Texas plant

TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced that it held a line-off ceremony for the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck today (November 17, U.S. Central Standard Time) at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc. (TMMTX).

Texas Governor Rick Perry, United States Ambassador to Japan John Thomas Schieffer and San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, as well as TMC Honorary Chairman Shoichiro Toyoda, TMC President Katsuaki Watanabe, TMMTX President Hidehiko Tajima and TMMTX Vice President Don Jackson, among others, attended the event.

Watanabe said, "Here in Texas, we have assembled a great team of people, a great plant and a great truck. Along with great people, this is one of the most-advanced automotive plants on the earth. It has the latest in technology and is using the best production and environmental techniques learned from more than 60 plants that we operate around the world."

Tajima said, "Today is the culmination of nearly four years of hard work and dedication by all of the members of Team Texas. It would have been impossible to reach this day without the strong partnership of our team members, construction partners, suppliers and all those in the government and community. We now begin the next stage in what will be a very long and very successful partnership with San Antonio, Bexar County and Texas."

TMMTX was established in March 2003 as the sixth assembly plant of Toyota in North America, with an investment capital of approximately 1.28 billion dollars and an annual production capacity of 200,000 vehicles.

Toyota production capacity in North America in 2008 is expected to reach 2.02 million vehicles (current capacity is 1.75 million vehicles) annually as a result of the increased production capacity at the North American production site of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc.) to 100,000 vehicles per year of the Camry production of which will be outsourced by Toyota beginning in 2007 an increase in production capacity in 2007 by 20,000 vehicles per year at Toyota Motor Manufacturing de Baja California, Mexico and the additional production capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year at the No. 2 Plant of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Canada, Inc., where production is expected to begin in 2008.

Outline of TMMTX