TOYOTA TO FORM A NEW DIVISION TO PROMOTE
INTELLIGENT TRANSPORT SYSTEMS

Tokyo―TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION announced today that it will form an ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) Planning Division to better address the rapidly growing need for safer, more efficient, and environmentally friendly transportation.

ITS, in general, seek to better coordinate the movement of people, products, and information, thereby better satisfying the requirements of an increasingly mobile society. By coordinating transportation, ITS will improve safety, reduce traffic congestion, and protect the environment. Because such an approach involves the automobile industry and also requires the participation of the electronics and telecommunications industries, both private corporations and the public sector view ITS as a new business expansion area. ITS projects are currently being developed in Japan, Europe, and the United States.

The Toyota ITS Planning Division's internal and external functions will include consolidating and coordinating all of Toyota's ITS-related activities, planning and developing new businesses and products, initiating and supporting R&D of ITS technology, and planning and promoting sales and external affairs activities.

Toyota expects that the consolidation of all these functions under one division will further boost Toyota's already strong commitment to ITS and promote ITS-related business as one of the principal elements of the company's operations for the next century.