American Manufacturing Milestone: Ten Millionth Toyota BN * Its focus on quality and continuous improvement has kept Toyota on the road to successin North America. (NAPSA)—Sixteen years of success in manufacturing and job creation in North America: That’s what one world leader in the automotive industry has causeto celebrate, as the ten millionth Toyota rolled off the production line in Georgetown,Ky. It’s a landmark achievement by Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, the headquarters of Toyota’s manufacturing operations in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company hasinvested $13 billion in its North American operations, making North America the centerpiece of the company’s growth strategy. “We’ve just produced our ten millionth vehicle in North America, thanks to someof the finest workers in the world, hundredsof excellent North American suppliers and our outstanding dealers,” says Dr. Shoichiro Toyoda, honorary chairman, Toyota Motor Corporation. “Collectively, they are the reasons that more Toyota vehicles are sold in North America than anywhere else in the world, including Japan.” Currently, more than 10.5 million North American households own at least one Toyota or Lexusvehicle. Toyota first began conducting business in North America in 1957 and started North American vehicle manufacturing operations in 1986. The company’s impact in the U.S. and Canadais significant: * Toyota’s North American operations directly provide more than 32,000 good and stable jobs in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. When dealers and suppliers are included, the companyis directly responsible for more than 175,000 total jobs in North America. Sales of 1,221,005 in the U.S., up more than four percent from 2001. * Toyota has contributed more than $175 million in corporate giving back to communities since it first began doing business in North America 45 years ago. Thousands of Toyota employees have also contributed hundreds of thousands of volunteer hours in their communities. August 2002 was the car maker’s best-ever sales month in 45 years of business in the U.S. It sold 186,599 vehicles. The company’s North American plants have earned more J.D. Power and Associates plant quality awards—21—than any other auto maker. Aspart of the ten millionth vehicle celebration, Toyota announced a $1 million college scholarship fund for children of team members and presented a total of 26 Sienna minivans to charitable organizations— including the Salvation Army, Canadian Cancer Society, Tri-City Homeless Foundation, Food Finders, Youth for Tomorrow and many others—in communities where Toyota has major operations. To learn more, visit www. toyota.com.
