Toyota Motor Manufacturing France to restart 3-shifts operations in January 2012

Toyota Motor Europe today announced that Toyota Motor Manufacturing France (TMMF) will restart 3-shifts operations on January 3, 2012. This decision will create 800 jobs at the factory. Production at TMMF will be increased in line with the expected success of the 3rd generation Yaris launched this autumn and of the future Yaris hybrid to be launched next year.

Recruiting of the 800 new team members will start as from September 2011, through temporary contracts of duration of 18 months. Operations in 3 shifts might be expanded for a longer period, depending on future evolution of sales. Furthermore, as previously announced, TMMF will recruit 100 employees with permanent contracts by the end of the first quarter of 2012. These recruitments will bring to 4,300 the total number of employees at TMMF.

TMMF is Toyota's only vehicle manufacturing facility where production can be arranged into three shifts. This format was employed between May 2004 and April 2005 and between February 2006 and July 2010.

TMMF is the home of the Yaris, Toyota's best selling model in Europe. Since the start of production in January 2001, the factory has built almost 2 million Yaris. Production of the all-new third generation Yaris started on July 13, 2011. Toyota plans to achieve sales of 200,000 Yaris vehicles in Europe on a full-year basis