FAW Toyota Changchun Engine Co., Ltd. Goes Online

Tokyo ―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that FAW Toyota Changchun Engine Co., Ltd. (FTCE), a joint venture company it established together with CHINA FAW GROUP CORPORATION (FAW) to manufacture engines in Changchun City, Jilin Province, China, held a line-off ceremony at FTCE’s machining and assembly plant on Dec. 17. The ceremony was attended by approximately 300 people, including many distinguished guests, such as the governor of Jilin Province and the mayor of Changchun City, along with FTCE President Masami Yamada, FAW President Zhu Yanfeng and TMC Senior Managing Director Akio Toyoda.

FTCE began production of 3.0-liter V6 gasoline engines on Dec. 15, 2004, marking Toyota’s first such V6 engine plant to go into operation in China. The company has an annual production capacity of 130,000 units and plans to build about 40,000 engines in 2005. The engines will be used in the Crown and other vehicle series scheduled to be produced at Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (TFTM).

TMC and FAW signed a joint agreement in August 2002, and a further agreement in April 2003 regarding the joint production of four vehicle series, including the Crown, and technology transfer. Production of three of those series―the Land Cruiser, Land Cruiser Prado and the Corolla―has already begun. Furthermore, developments are progressing smoothly with respect to another basic agreement signed between the two companies on Sept. 15, 2004, for jointly promoting the widespread use and development of hybrid vehicles in China.