Press Release

Toyota Breaks Ground in West Virginia

09/20/96

Toyota Puts Down Roots In West Virginia

BUFFALO, W.Va., Sept. 18 -- Toyota Motor Company (TMC)
broke ground today for its new North American engine plant. More than
400 guests and participants gathered at Toyota Motor Manufacturing,
West Virginia, Inc.'s (TMMWV) 230-acre site in Putnam County, 30 mles
northwest of Charleston, to celebrate the start of construction on the
Corolla engine plant.

Hundreds of local construction workers will be involved in the
project, which will be completed in about two years. Production is
expected to begin in fall of 1998 with total production employment of
300.

TMC President Hiroshi Okuda, West Virginia Governor Gaston Caperton,
U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller and other dignitaries were joined by
Putnam County school children in planting several trees in the newly
turned earth, symbolic of theroots that Toyota is putting down in West
Virginia.

"Last May, when I announced our decision to locate here, I told you
that Toyota was confident it had made a good decision because we
believe the people of West Virginia share the values of hard work and
devotion to excellence that we've witnessed in our family of almost
20,000 American employees in the U.S.," Okuda said.  "Those values are
the cornerstone of our relationship and remain the most important
ingredient in our decision to sprout another branch of our family tree
hee in Putnam County."

Also in his speech, Okuda introduced Tomoya Toriumi, the newly
appointed president of TMMWV. Toriumi brings to this position a wealth
of experience with the Toyota Production System, most recently as
General Manager of the Oversees Production Planning Division at Toyota
Motor Corporation.

Okuda and Toriumi presented a $500,000 gift from Toyota which will be
distributed to the Putnam County schools for enhancing computer
education. The donation was lauded by Governor Capertn who said this
generous gift "was a true indication of the extraordinary corporate
citizen that West Virginia has gained."

Representing Putnam County Schools, Dr. Samuel Sentelle,
Superintendent, said, "On behalf of the children of this county, we
are truly grateful for Toyota's generous gift. Your contribution will
help ensure a brighter future for the students of our school sytem."

Construction of the plant -- including installation of equipment --
will cost nearly $400 million. Toyota's third North American engine
plant will have the capacity to produce 300,000 engines annually,
increasing Toyota's engine production capacity in North America to
800,000 units by 1998. Toyota's annual North American vehicle
production capacity will increase to more than 1.2 million* by 1998.

* Including Geo Prizms built for General Motors.