Celebrating 2,000,000th Yaris production milestone for Toyota in France

Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) today celebrated the two millionth Toyota Yaris to roll off the production line in Valenciennes, France. Today's milestone comes in the same year as TMMF celebrated its tenth anniversary.

The two millionth Yaris to roll off the production line at TMMF was a 1.4-litre D-4D, 5-door model, sporting Toyota's Burning Red paintwork. The car is destined for a customer in France and will be delivered in just a few days.

Production of the original Yaris at the Valenciennes-based facility began in January 2001 with an annual production volume of 150,000 units, reaching peak production of 262,000 units in 2007. The built-in flexibility of the TMMF facility meant that operations can be switched to a "three shift" setup to meet market demand, first applied between 2004 and 2005, and again between 2006 and 2010.

Building on the success story of the Yaris in Europe as Toyota's best selling model, and coinciding with the recent launch of the all-new, third generation Toyota Yaris, TMMF will return to a three shift setup in January 2012. The workforce will also be strengthened by an additional 800 people, bringing total employment at the Valenciennes facility to 4,300 next year.

President of Toyota Motor Manufacturing France, Makoto Sano, said: "This important milestone was achieved thanks to the hard work and dedication of all of our members in TMMF. With the arrival of the new Toyota Yaris, TMMF is entering a dynamic new era. The latest model offers a promising prospect for our plant in Valenciennes."

The established high levels of quality, durability and reliability of the Yaris model range, which regularly ranks highly in customer satisfaction surveys across Europe, saw even more improvements in the newest generation. Engineers from TMMF were involved in the development process of the new Yaris 18 months earlier than for any previous models. Parts design was improved to maintain consistent quality levels over the course of repeated manufacturing. Furthermore, vehicle parts suppliers were directly involved in the production preparation process to ensure highest possible quality.

The Yaris also continues to maintain its outstanding safety heritage with the newest generation recently awarded with the highest 5-star Euro NCAP rating for 2011. The original Yaris was first named the safest vehicle in the Super Mini Class in 2000 by Euro NCAP, while the second generation also achieved the full 5-star rating in 2005.

Production of the new Toyota Yaris Hybrid will begin next year at TMMF.

Toyota Motor Manufacturing France currently represents a total investment of EUR 1 billion for Toyota in Europe, including the additional investment of EUR 150 million for the new Yaris.

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