Toyota Names Three New Members to Its North American Diversity Advisory Board

CINCINNATI, Nov. 13, 2007 -- Toyota announced today three new members to its North American Diversity Advisory Board during its 18th annual Opportunity Exchange (OE) minority business conference and trade fair.

As one of the largest minority business events in the country, OE is designed to provide minority business enterprises (MBEs) across the nation with the opportunity to network and develop relationships with approximately 300 of Toyota Tier I suppliers. Since 1990, OE has generated more than $100 million in new contracts. Nearly 800 MBEs were expected to attended today's event where Bob Johnson, founder of Black Entertainment Television, was the keynote speaker.

The Advisory Board, formed nearly six years ago, provides outside perspective and guidance to Toyota and establishes clear goals for the company's efforts and commitment to nurturing inclusion and diversity in the workplace.

New Advisory Board members include Phyllis Campbell, President and CEO of the Seattle Foundation; Gilbert Casellas, Vice President, Corporate Responsibility for Dell Inc.; and James Lowry, Senior Advisor for the Boston Consulting Group.

The Advisory Board's chair will continue to be held by current member and former Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman, one of the nation's most recognized thought leaders in strategic corporate diversity. The eight-member advisory board also includes retired Federal Appellate Judge Nathaniel Jones; former Congressman and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp; former Congresswoman Susan Molinari; and former Transportation and Energy Secretary Federico Pena.

"Toyota believes that diversity and inclusion are essential to our long-term success," said Dian Ogilvie, Senior Vice President of Toyota Motor North America. "Our Diversity Advisory Board's invaluable guidance, service and dedication for the past half decade have led to a number of significant achievements for our company. The Board is imperative to our efforts, helping move us forward in the right direction."

The Advisory Board meets regularly with senior management several times a year and provides objective advice and guidance to the highest levels of Toyota's North American management with respect to the content, implementation and further development of Toyota's 21st Century Diversity Strategy.

Irene Hirano and Sara Martinez Tucker, who have been with the Advisory Board since its inception, have stepped down to pursue other interests in their respective fields.

"It was an honor to work with Irene and Sara who brought their expertise and insight to the Advisory Board," said Chair Herman. "Their ideas and commitment helped develop a strong foundation for the Board and they will both be missed by all. We are however gaining three members who are highly respected and whose contributions will make an immediate impact."

The eight members of the Advisory Board represent a cross section of American expertise in business, law, labor and government. The members include:

  -- Alexis Herman, Chair
     Alexis Herman became the first African American to lead the Labor
     Department when President Clinton named her Secretary of Labor in 1997.
     Currently, Herman serves as Chair and Chief Executive Officer of New
     Ventures, Inc., and lends her expertise as a board member for several
     corporate and nonprofit organizations. She is the Chairwoman of The
     Coca-Cola Company's Diversity Task Force and an On-Line Columnist for
     Monster.com.

  -- Phyllis Campbell
     Phyllis Campbell is the President and CEO of the Seattle Foundation.
     She previously served as President of U.S. Bank of Washington from 1993
     to 2001. Campbell has received many prestigious awards for her
     community service work, including the Woman Who Makes A Difference
     Award from the International Women's Forum, and in 2006, she received
     the Lifetime Achievement Award from City Year.

  -- Gilbert Casellas
     Gilbert Casellas is Vice President, Corporate Responsibility for
     Dell Inc. where he oversees the company's global diversity,
     sustainability and corporate philanthropy functions.  He previously
     served as Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission,
     General Counsel of the U.S. Department of the Air Force, and
     Co-Chairman of the U.S. Census Monitoring Board.

  -- Nathaniel Jones
     Nathaniel Jones serves as Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at
     Blank Rome LLP, a Philadelphia-based law firm with more than 500
     attorneys.  Previously he served 23 years as judge in the U.S. Court of
     Appeals for the Sixth Circuit after being appointed by President Carter
     in 1979.  Prior to that, he served ten years as general counsel to the
     National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and
     five years as U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

  -- Jack Kemp
     Former Congressman and Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary
     Jack Kemp is the Founder and Chairman of Kemp Partners, a strategic
     consulting firm. He was co-director of Empower America, a public policy
     and advocacy organization he co-founded in 1993. Kemp served as the
     representative for Western New York for 18 years in the House of
     Representatives, where he was chairman of the House Republican
     Leadership Conference. In 1996, Kemp was Republican presidential
     candidate Bob Dole's vice presidential running mate.

  -- James Lowry
     James Lowry is a senior advisor for the Boston Consulting Group in
     their Chicago office and leads the firm's workforce diversity, ethnic
     marketing, and minority business-development consulting efforts.  He's
     been a host of two nationally syndicated TV programs: Inside Bedford
     Stuyvesant and Minority Business Report.  Additionally, he's an adjunct
     professor at the J.L. Kellogg School of Management; and chairman of the
     board of The City of Chicago Library system and was recently inducted
     into the Minority Business Hall of Fame.

  -- Susan Molinari
     Former Congresswoman Susan Molinari is president and CEO of the
     Washington Group, a government relations and lobbying firm, and serves
     as a frequent television political analyst. She represented New York in
     the House of Representatives from 1990 to 1997, where she was elected
     to the Republican majority leadership. In 1996, she delivered the
     keynote address at the Republican National Convention.

  -- Federico Pena
     Federico Pena served as both Secretary of Transportation and Secretary
     of Energy under President Clinton. He's now an investment banker for
     Vestar Capital Partners in Denver. Pena worked as a lawyer for Hispanic
     groups before he was elected to the Colorado General Assembly in 1979.
     From 1983 to 1991, Pena served as Denver's first Hispanic mayor.

  About Toyota

Toyota established operations in North America in 1957 and will operate 15 manufacturing plants in North America by 2010. There are more than 1,700 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in North America which sold more than 2.8 million vehicles in 2006. Toyota directly employs over 41,000 in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18.6 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 $30 billion. Toyota currently produces 11 vehicles in North America, including the Avalon, Camry, Camry Hybrid, Corolla, Matrix, Sienna, Solara, Sequoia, Tacoma, Tundra and the Lexus RX 350. By 2010, Toyota will have the annual capacity to build approximately 2.2 million cars and trucks, 1.45 million engines and 600,000 automatic transmissions. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com.