Friday, June 18, 2010

Toyota Sets Start-Up Date for Mississippi Plant


TMMMS Aerial  - November 2009
New Plant to Build Corolla Beginning inFall 2011
BLUE SPRINGS, Mississippi (June 17, 2010) – Toyota is resuming construction of its Mississippi plant, which will soon hire 2,000 team members and build the Corolla compact sedan beginning in the fall of 2011.
Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour plans to visit Toyota Motor Manufacturing Mississippi (TMMMS) today to meet with Northeast Mississippi community leaders and Toyota officials.
This decision to begin production with Corolla enables TMMMS to open as quickly as possible. Also, by beginning production with Corolla, nearly all Corolla for this market will be built in North America. Some of the Corolla for North America have been built in Japan since April.
“Toyota appreciates the patience of Gov. Barbour and all Mississippians, but we first needed to fully utilize our existing facilities as the economy slowed. Now it’s time to fulfill Toyota’s promise in Mississippi,” said Yoshimi Inaba, president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor North America. “Toyota remains committed to making vehicles where we sell them and to maintaining a substantial manufacturing presence in North America.”
The TMMMS building is essentially complete. Most of the remaining work involves the installation of equipment. The administration office is already occupied by about 60 team members. Details about the hiring process will be divulged later this summer.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE:TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates 13 manufacturing plants. There are more than 1,800 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.05 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs more than 35,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $23 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design. Toyota's annual purchasing of parts, materials, goods and services from North American suppliers totals more than $25 billion. Toyota currently produces 12 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Matrix, RAV4, Sienna, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Venza and the Lexus RX 350. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Toyota Motor Sales Earns Six Segment Awards to Lead All Manufacturers in J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Initial Quality Study


  • Lexus Ties for Most Segment Awards of Any Nameplate
  • Production Facilities Earn Top Honors in Asia and North America
  • Recent Recalls Impact Overall Toyota Ranking
TORRANCE, Calif., June 17, 2010 -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced that its Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands received a combined six segment awards in the 2010 J.D. Power and Associates Initial Quality Study (IQS), more than any other manufacturer.
“We are very pleased to have earned the six segment awards and by the strong showing of our Lexus brand and the Scion xB in the 2010 IQS,” said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer, TMS. “However, the 2010 study was conducted at the height of intense media coverage of Toyota’s and Lexus’ recalls earlier this year, so we anticipated an impact on this specific ranking of these vehicles.”
Lentz continued: “The IQS 90-day feedback is one measurement – along with warranty claims, long-term durability, resale value and buyer loyalty – that helps us gauge the overall quality of our products. We stand behind our strong performance in these and other areas and remain firmly committed to ensuring the superior quality, safety and long-term value of our cars and trucks.”
Lexus LS Shows Fewest Quality Problems in the Industry
Lexus ranked fourth among all nameplates in the 2010 IQS with 88 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). Among individual models, the Lexus LS earned the distinction of fewest quality problems in the industry, with just 55 PP100.
Lexus also captured three segment awards to tie for the most awards of any nameplate in this year’s study. These include the Lexus GS for Midsize Premium Car, the Lexus GX 460 for Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV, and the Lexus LS 460 for Large Premium Car. This is the third year in a row that the LS had placed first in its segment and the 10th time in 13 years that the LS has been at the top of its segment.
Toyota Receives Two Segment Awards, but Recent Recalls Impact Overall Rank
Reflecting heightened customer awareness of Toyota’s recent recalls, the Toyota nameplate PP100 increased in this year’s study by 16 PP100 to 117 PP100 resulting in a ranking of 21.
At the same time, the FJ Cruiser received the segment award for the Compact Crossover/SUV, while the Sienna ranks highest in the Midsize Van segment for the second year in row.
With the exception of the Highlander, all of the TMS models involved in the company’s recent recalls experienced an increase in reported issues, while those not involved in the recalls, taken together, showed an overall improvement over 2009.
Scion Continues to Rise in the Ranks
The Scion nameplate moved up again in this year’s study, from 20th to 18th with 114 PP100, an improvement of four PP100. The Scion xB earned the 2010 segment award for Compact Multipurpose Vehicle, while the Scion tC improved by 10 PP100 to 109 PP100.
Production Facilities Earn Top Honors
Toyota production facilities once again took the top three honors in the Asia Pacific region for 2010. The Kyushu 2 plant (IS line, ES 350, RX line) earned the Gold Award with 32 PP100; the Tahara 3 plant (GS line, IS sedans, LS 460) earned the Silver Award with 33 PP100; and the Kyushu 1 plant (HS 250h, RX line) earned the bronze award with 37 PP100.
For the North and South America region, the Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, plant (RX 350) earned a Gold Award with 30 PP100.
Toyota Segment Awards Chart
Model
IQS Segment
Problems per 100
Lexus LS 460
Large Premium Car
55
Lexus GS
Midsize Premium Car
75
Toyota FJ Cruiser
Compact Crossover/SUV
83
Lexus GX 460
Midsize Premium Crossover/SUV
84
Toyota Sienna
Midsize Van
102
Scion xB
Compact Multipurpose Vehicle
108