TOYOTA TO EXPAND U.S. DESIGN FACILITY

Toyota City―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced that its U.S.-based automotive design center, Calty Design Research, Inc. broke ground today for a $17-million expansion of its research and design facilities in Newport Beach, California.

Calty, established in October 1973 as Toyota's first overseas design development facility, will undergo the expansion as part of a three-phase, $144-million effort by Toyota to bolster the company's vehicle sales, distribution, and product R&D capabilities in the U.S. Earlier this year, Toyota Technical Center, U.S.A., Inc., broke ground for expansion at its facilities in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Torrance, California.

Plans call for the construction of an 85,400sq.ft. (7,900m²) research and design building adjacent to Calty's existing facilities that will be used for developing advanced design proposals for future products and for researching North American lifestyle and trends.

"Calty's design research and development has had a significant influence on design development in Toyota Motor Corporation," said Shiro Sasaki, TMC executive vice president. "In the 1990s [Toyota] would like to establish its position as the design leader of the world. I am confident that Calty...will continue to produce innovative designs."

Fumio Agetsuma, Calty president and TMC senior managing director, said the auto industry must look to the future and design vehicles that bridge the gap between technology and the people who use it. Agetsuma stressed that Toyota designers will seek to create vehicles that are in harmony with their environment.

Calty's new facility, which will be built on 7.42 acres (30,000m²) of land, is scheduled for completion in January 1991. Approximately 60 people will be employed at the facility.

The expansion of Calty is part of Toyota's efforts to establish a strong global network for design R&D with bases in North America, Europe, and Japan. In September of this year, the company's first European design center, Toyota Europe Office of Creation, was opened near Brussels, Belgium. In February 1990, a new facility will be added in Japan, with the completion of the Tokyo Design Center.