TOYOTA EXPANDS U.S. R&D FACILITIES

Toyota City―Toyota moved a step closer to realizing its goal of creating fully integrated operations in the United States when Toyota Technical Center, U.S.A., Inc. (TTC), Toyota's U.S. R&D arm, opened its new prototype-vehicle evaluation facility Thursday in California. The ceremony marked the first of several new R&D facilities Toyota will open this week as part of its more than $220 million plan to further enhance its ability to design, develop, and build cars in the United States.

Located next to Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the company's U.S. marketing arm in Torrance, California, the new $46 million TTC facility includes a 61,000 sq. ft. (5,700m²) administration building and an 81,000 sq. ft. (7,500m²) evaluation building. State-of-the-art hot and cold chambers for testing climate-control systems and performance under extreme environmental conditions and an anechoic chamber to measure noise and vibration are major features.

Today, TTC will break ground for a $110 million vehicle proving facility it will build 45 miles (75km) northwest of Phoenix, Arizona. Slated to begin operations in 1993, the 10-mile (16km) oval track will be one of the world's largest, designed to handle speeds of 160 mph (250 km/h). The new proving ground will enable Toyota to evaluate the overall performance of vehicles at high speeds and extreme temperatures.

At the same time, Calty Design Research, Inc., Toyota's U.S. design arm in Newport Beach, California, will also open a major addition today. Calty's $19 million expansion effectively doubles its size, and includes a brand-new building and studios for analyzing color designs and building clay models, and a state-of-the-art system for transferring three-dimensional information from clay models to an electronic drawing machine.

Finally, on Thursday of next week, TTC will open a $41 million evaluation laboratory for parts, materials, and vehicles at its technical center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where it has been doing emissions testing for EPA certification since 1987. The Ann Arbor laboratory will conduct extensive testing of U.S.-made parts and materials for use in Toyota's North American operations and for export to Japan.

The expansions will boost Toyota's U.S. R&D capabilities, allowing it to develop products that better satisfy its U.S. customers, as well as work more closely with its U.S. suppliers and steadily expand its procurement of American-made parts and materials.

Outline of Toyota Technical Center, U.S.A., Inc.

• Location

  Gardena, California, for the head office; there are six branch offices, including one in Los Angeles

• Established

  June 1977

• Capital

  $33.8 million

• Equity participation

  Toyota Motor Corp., 80%; Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd., 5%; Nippondenso Co., Ltd., 5%; Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., 10%

• Main activities

  Evaluation, testing, and research of automobiles

• Work force

  250 employees, as of April 1991

TTC Expansion in Torrance, California

• Building area

  57,000 sq. ft. (5,300m²) for new test building; 29,000 sq. ft. (2,700m²) for administration building

• Total floor area

  81,000 sq. ft. (7,500m²) for new test building; 61,000 sq. ft. (5,700m²) for administration building

• Main purposes

  Fine-tuning of vehicles; evaluation of prototype vehicles

• Main facilities

  Anechoic chamber, hot and cold chambers, all with dynamometers

• Investment

  Approximately US$46 million

TTC Expansion in Ann Arbor, Michigan

• Building area

  85,000 sq. ft. (7,900m²) for new test building; 42,000 sq. ft. (3,900m²) for administration building

• Total floor area

  110,000 sq. ft. (10,300m²) for new test building; 77,000 sq. ft. (7,200m²) for administration building

• Main purposes

  Evaluation of parts (for strength, reliability, and performance); evaluation of vehicles. This office evaluates the following: (a) locally procured parts for the cars (such as the Camry and Corolla) to be produced in North America, as well as parts to be shipped to Japan; and (b) locally procured materials, such as paints and resins.

• Main facilities

  Exciters, thermostats, endurance testers

• Investment

  Approximately US$41 million

Arizona Proving Ground

• Location

  Maricopa County, Arizona; about 45 miles (75km) northwest of Phoenix

• Site area

  12,000 acres (4,800ha)

• Main purposes

  Vehicle running tests; general vehicle performance tests at high speeds and high temperatures

• Main facilities

  10-mile (16km) test circuit

• Investment

  US$110 million

• Completion

  Spring of 1993

Outline of Calty Design Research, Inc.

• Location

  Newport Beach, California

• Established

  October 1973

• Investment

  US$160,000

• Equity participation

  Toyota Motor Corp., 60%; Toyota Motor-Sales, U.S.A., Inc., 20%; Yachiyoda Sangyo Co., Ltd, 20%

• Main activities

  Research and development of automobile design

• Work force

  45 employees, as of April 1991

Calty Expansion

• Building area

  62,000 sq. ft. (5,800m²)

• Total floor area

  85,000 sq. ft. (7,900m²)

• Main purposes

  Advanced design of exterior, interior, and color

• Main facilities

  Outdoor and indoor study areas; studios for exterior, interior, and coloring; model-making equipment

• Investment

  US$19 million