TOYOTA MARKETS NEW PRE FABRICATED HOUSING UNIT

TOKYO―Toyota Motor Sales Company, Ltd., announced today the start of general marketing of a new pre-fabricated housing unit developed and manufactured by Toyota Motor Company, Ltd. Known as the "Toyota Office," the new housing unit features light-weight, rigid steel frame construction and can be assembled in virtually any combination to serve a wide variety of office needs. Total assembly time for a six-unit combination, not including work in preparing the foundation, is one or two days.

The new "Toyota Office" will initially be sold only at twenty-three Toyota dealerships in the Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka regions, but Toyota plans to gradually expand the sales organization, increase the sales territory, and introduce new product variations based on market response and improvements in production capacities.

In view of Japan's housing situation, Toyota has long believed that the technological capacity the Company has developed over the years in the automotive industry could also be used to contribute to the creation of low-cost, high-quality housing, and thus for several years Toyota has conducted research into the development of pre-fabricated housing units. The new "Toyota Office" which goes on sale today represents the first result of this research.

The "Toyota Office" was exhibited to the public in March 1975 at the Office Systems Show held at Tokyo's Harumi Pier, and approximately eighty offices have been test-used by various companies in the Toyota Group. The durability, safety, and comfort of the "Toyota Office" have thus been proven to be highly satisfactory.

The "Toyota Office" will temporarily be manufactured at Toyota Motor Company's Sotoyama Factory and at Kanto Motor Company's Taura Factory. Initial sales are expected to average about 100 units (25 offices) per month, but Toyota hopes to eventually achieve monthly sales of 500 units (125 offices).

The special features of the "Toyota Office" and two photographs are shown in the attached sheets.

Special Features of the "Toyota Office"

1. Three basic units are available: one living unit and two types of equipment units. Any number of units can be assembled in any combination to suit any purpose. For example, two units (total area of 21.8 m²) can be combined to form a small shop; more units can be combined as needed to form office, show room, separate building, or any other type of office facility.
2. Time required for assembly is short―except for foundation work, 4―6 units can be assembled in one or two days.
3. Most components are manufactured in factories under strict product quality control, and thus units feature high degree of precision and quality.
4. Rigid steel frame (rahmen) construction, with strong, carefully welded or bolted joints produced using the same high level of technology used in manufacturing automobiles, guarantees sturdiness against typhoons and earthquakes. Moreover, lack of wall struts permits wide variation of wall panels and multi-purpose use of wall space.
5. Sturdy, light-weight steel construction is processed with most advanced techniques for prevention of rust and corrosion.
6. Thick paneling (130mm) on walls, and thick layer of compact wool glass (50mm) on interior section of walls and ceiling, help insulate against sound and heat.
7. Window sashes developed by Toyota especially for the "Toyota Office" feature alumite treatment, hair-line processing, and acryl finishing.
8. Doors and windows feature unique precision-fitting construction which assures high degree of airtightness.
9. Interior walls feature smart-looking stretched cloth; exterior walls are finished with handsome scratched stucco.
10. Full line of options are available, such as screen windows, blinds, and General-Electric air conditioning.