Toyota and eBay Announce Strategic Marketing Agreement

Toyota Announces Exclusive Automotive Manufacturer Sponsorship With Leading Online Shopping Site

TORRANCE, Calif., Feb. 20 -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. and eBay today announced a unique marketing agreement that includes a one-year exclusive automotive manufacturer sponsorship on eBay.

As part of the agreement, Toyota will launch a dedicated destination at http://ebay.toyota.com/ . From this new page, Toyota will showcase its entire new vehicle line-up, links to items listings on eBay and special promotional offers. In addition, Toyota will donate vehicles for various charity auctions on eBay, with the first expected to begin at the end of March.

With eBay.com ranked as the No. 1 online shopping site and eBay Motors ranked as the No. 1 automotive site by Nielsen/NetRatings, this is a natural alliance for Toyota, which has the No. 1 consumer brand site for auto manufacturers.

"We are thrilled to team up with eBay, forming a top-tier integrated marketing program. Toyota is committed to providing consumers information they need about our products," said Deborah Meyer, Toyota corporate manager of marketing communications. "The alliance will allow us to reach Toyota owners and potential new buyers within the eBay community."

Toyota will have an extended presence on eBay.com and eBay Motors with banners and rich media placements. This will help Toyota reach potential new customers and maintain its leadership position as the top automaker website.

"This relationship with Toyota represents the first exclusive advertising sponsorship by an automotive manufacturer on eBay," said Don Albert, senior director of eBay Strategic Partnerships. "We're proud to offer Toyota a powerful way to promote their new vehicles within eBay's community of 95 million registered users."

This strategic relationship was developed between Toyota and eBay with the cooperation of both Jumpstart Digital Marketing, a leading interactive agency, and Saatchi & Saatchi, Toyota's advertising agency.

About Toyota Motor Sales

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 1415 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motor sports, R&D and general aviation. The company's main Web site is www.toyota.com .

About eBay

eBay is The World's Online Marketplace(R). Founded in 1995, eBay created a powerful platform for the sale of goods and services by a passionate community of individuals and businesses. On any given day, there are millions of items across thousands of categories for sale on eBay through auction or fixed price formats. eBay enables trade on a local, national and international basis with customized sites in markets around the world.

About eBay Motors

eBay Motors ( www.ebaymotors.com ), a part of eBay Inc., The World's Online Marketplace(R), is the Internet's largest marketplace for buying and selling all things automotive. The site offers everyday cars for everyday drivers, as well as collector cars, motorcycles, auto parts and accessories. Consistently ranked the No. 1 automotive site on the Web by Nielsen//NetRatings, more than three billion dollars worth of vehicles and parts were sold on eBay Motors in 2002.