Toyota Announces $15 Million Expansion of Facility in Erlanger, Kentucky

ERLANGER, Ky., Nov. 5, 2003 -- Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TMMNA) today announced plans for a 98,400 square foot expansion of the company's quality and production engineering laboratory. The capital investment in this project will be approximately $15.6 million. TMMNA also announced 75 new jobs will be created at the company's Erlanger campus over the next two years.

Construction on the building expansion will begin this fall and will be completed in the summer of 2004.

"As our North American manufacturing operations continue to expand, the quality and production engineering laboratory will play a growing role in a number of functions -- including parts, components and materials testing and warranty claim analysis," said Dennis Cuneo, senior vice president of TMMNA. "Across Kentucky, Toyota employs over 8,300 people and has invested $4.5 billion in the state. We're proud that Toyota's overall North American growth will mean additional jobs and investment in Kentucky."

"We are pleased to have a flagship company such as Toyota expand its research and design capacity in Northern Kentucky," added Gary W. Moore, Boone County Judge Executive and Chairman of Tri-ED. "It is exactly the type of development that Tri-ED seeks to promote in the region."

Toyota currently has ten vehicle manufacturing and parts facilities in North America, and is building three more in Baja California, Mexico; San Antonio, Texas; and Jackson, Tennessee.

By 2006, Toyota will have the capacity to build 1.66 million cars and trucks a year and 1.29 million engines in North America. Toyota currently employs some 34,000 people throughout North America. The company's direct investment is nearly $14 billion with annual parts, materials, goods and services purchased from North American suppliers totaling over $20 billion. Toyota's North American-produced vehicles include the Avalon, Camry, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra, Voltz and the Lexus RX 330.