TMC's U.K. Vehicle Production Base to Build Hybrid Auris

Tokyo ― TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today it will produce from mid-2010 a hybrid version of the "Auris" hatchback at Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. (TMUK). The hybrid Auris, using engines produced at TMUK's Deeside Plant, will be produced at TMUK's Burnaston Plant.

The decision to build the hybrid Auris at TMUK represents the first materialization of TMC's plan to further its business operations in Europe and distinguish itself in that market through the strengths of its hybrid technology. It also reflects TMC's having positioned "product-focused management" and "management that places priority on meeting the needs of regional markets" as pivotal management themes to address the extreme hardships the global automobile industry has been facing in the current economic environment.

More than 370,000 units of the non-hybrid Auris―which is produced at TMUK and at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc. in Turkey―have been sold in Europe since the model's introduction in the spring of 2007.

Based on the philosophy it has had since its birth to "contribute to society through the manufacture of automobiles", TMC, by carefully studying market needs by region, intends to consistently offer products that fully address peoples' needs.