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Statement from Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Regarding 1989 Camry Ranking On NICB Most Stolen Vehicles List

DETROIT, Feb. 26, 2004 -- The following is a statement from Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. regarding 1989 Camry ranking on NICB most stolen vehicles list:

Toyota is committed to reducing cost of ownership of its vehicles and this extends to reducing insurance losses. Numerous sophisticated anti-theft devices and parts identification systems are designed into Toyota vehicles to thwart increasingly sophisticated thieves.

Unfortunately, there exists a lucrative and highly organized market for stolen parts, especially for older vehicles where the cost of legitimate parts could exceed the value of the car.

Since Camry has been a best-seller for many years, there are more of them on the road than most other makes. And the Camry is renowned for its quality and durability. In fact, the 1989 model cited in the NICB rankings shares parts with five model years, totaling 1.2 million sold. Approximately 80 percent of these are still on the road.

It is very important to note that the total number of vehicles stolen is not meaningful without considering the model's sales volume. We believe that the percentage of thefts relative to the number of an individual model on the road is more telling. When measured by those criteria, the Camry's rate of theft and insurance loss claims are comparable to the average for all vehicle brands.