Toyota's Canadian Plant Marks 20th Anniversary

Tokyo ― TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC) marked its 20th anniversary on September 20 (local time; September 21 in Japan) with a ceremony at its plant in Cambridge, Ontario. Also, the following day, TMMC celebrated the official start of construction of its Woodstock, Ontario plant, Toyota's second vehicle production facility in Canada.

Guests at the 20th anniversary ceremony included Japanese Ambassador to Canada Sadaaki Numata, Consul-General of Japan in Toronto Koichi Kawakami, Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Trade Sandra Pupatello and Cambridge Mayor Doug Craig. Also attending were TMC Executive Vice President Akio Toyoda and TMMC President Ray Tanguay. Expressing their appreciation to the local community for 20 years of support, Toyota officials presented a donation of 250,000 Canadian dollars to the University of Waterloo and two vehicles to the United Way charity.

Guests at the construction kickoff celebration on September 21 included Pupatello and Woodstock Mayor Michael Harding. Also attending were Toyoda and Tanguay. At the celebration, Tanguay said: "This is an exciting time for TMMC. We are celebrating 20 years of vehicle manufacturing excellence in Canada, and now the beginning of a new milestone in Woodstock. This new facility strengthens Canada's automotive industry as a whole and will provide substantial benefits to existing Team Members, new Team Members, suppliers, and the communities where we do business."

TMMC was established in 1986 and began producing the Corolla in 1988. In 2003, it commenced the first-ever overseas production of a Lexus model (the RX300). The Woodstock plant is scheduled to begin production of the RAV4 in the fall of 2008.

TMMC's cumulative production through August of this year is approximately 2.67 million vehicles.