Toyota Brings 'Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience' to the Missouri State Fair

Toyota's Mobile Experience Offers Look Inside Hybrid Synergy Drive

SEDALIA, Mo., Aug. 8 -- Toyota is bringing its nationwide tour called "Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience," to the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia, Mo. on August 17-19, 2007. The tour is designed to provide consumers with a firsthand opportunity to experience automotive hybrid technology.

The tour which will run 18 months debuted Jan. 11, 2007 at the San Jose International Auto Show and is traveling to more than 150 events throughout the country. Consumers will have an opportunity to test Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system and learn about hybrid technology through a number of interactive educational exhibits.

"Most people have heard of hybrid technology and probably have a vague idea of how it works, but few have actually driven a hybrid and or taken an up-close look at its operation," said Keith Dahl, Toyota's National Engagement Marketing Manager. "This tour allows consumers to learn more about the technology behind this system and the benefits of hybrid vehicles."

Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience serves as a mobile museum to the environment and alternative fuels. The exhibit will be located at the Missouri State Fair on August 17-18 from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and on August 19 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

  There are four distinct interactive learning areas within the exhibit.
  -- "Alternative Fuels: Fueling the Future," identifies the differences in
     the various types of alternative fuels and how they are produced.
  -- "Environment and Resources: Small Steps, Big Difference," shows
     attendees what they can do to make a difference to the environment.
  -- "The Prius Driving Experience" simulates the current Hybrid Synergy
     Drive technology allowing visitors to interact with the system while
     on-screen instructions offer driving tips.
  -- "Hybrid Technology: Not All Hybrids are Created Equal" exhibit gives
     visitors a better understanding of the various hybrid technology
     options on the market and how hybrids benefit the consumer and the
     environment.

The hybrid experience offers more than just interesting educational activities; it also is designed to minimize its own environmental impact. Toyota will plant more than 50,000 trees in honor of those visiting the experience in conjunction with the National Arbor Day Foundation. These trees will help offset the "carbon footprint" of the trucks transporting the tour across the country and will continue to have a positive impact on the environment for years to come.

Toyota's Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience is traveling to more than 150 events across the 48 contiguous United States through mid-2008. For more information or the schedule of events please visit http://www.toyota.com/highway.

About Toyota

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motor sports, and research and development.