---

Toyota Announces Electric Vehicle Sales Record

23 April 1999

Toyota Announces Electric Vehicle Sales Record

    TORRANCE, Calif., April 22 -- Toyota Motor Sales, USA (TMS),
Inc., announced today that it is the first automaker to complete its
commitment under the State of California's zero-emission vehicle Memorandum of
Agreement (MOA).
    The MOA is the result of an historic agreement between automakers and the
California Air Resources Board (CARB) intended to speed the development of
market-ready, advanced-battery electric vehicles.  Under the MOA, automakers
must produce and deliver a specified number of advanced battery, zero-emission
vehicles prior to 2003 -- for Toyota, that number was 322.  At that time, CARB
has mandated that 10 percent of the vehicles sold in the state must produce
zero exhaust emissions.
    "Every part of our operations is designed to minimize our impact on the
world around us," said Yoshi Ishizaka, TMS president and CEO.  "From our use
of 100% renewable-resource electricity to the fact that we intend to continue
to produce and deliver electric vehicles to customers around the country, even
after completing the MOA, our actions are proving our words."
    Toyota chose a fleet sales strategy for the RAV4-EV, allowing the company
to continue product development and gather significant in-use information
about range, performance and market acceptability.  During 1998, RAV4-EV was
the best-selling electric vehicle in the country, with 359 vehicles delivered
to customers.  And since the first vehicle was leased in November 1997, Toyota
has placed over 507 RAV4-EVs on the road in selected markets nationwide.
    The Toyota RAV4-EV is a state of the art battery-powered electric vehicle.
Combining a quiet and powerful electric motor and a high-capacity nickel-metal
hydride battery pack, the RAV4-EV offers a range of over 125 miles and a top
speed of 79 mph.