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NUMMI Team Members Build 1,000,000th Truck

12 August 1999

NUMMI Team Members Build 1,000,000th Truck

    FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 12 -- A red Toyota Tacoma pickup became
the one-millionth truck to roll off the assembly line at New United Motor
Manufacturing, Inc. (NUMMI) today.  The plant, a joint venture between Toyota
and General Motors, is the only auto manufacturing facility in the state of
California.
    NUMMI team members built the first pickup -- then known as the Toyota
compact truck -- in 1991.  They currently produce Tacomas and Corollas for
Toyota and Chevrolet Prizms for GM.  The plant's employment has grown to 5,000
since being established in 1984.  Production volume for 1999 is expected to be
more than 365,000 units.
    Before a crowd of team members, NUMMI president, Kanji Ishii, declared,
"Since the first unit eight years ago, Toyota pickup trucks have been an
important part of NUMMI's continued success.  Today, the entire company is
very proud to celebrate this milestone and looks forward to building many more
Tacomas in the years to come."
    Teruyuki Minoura, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Manufacturing North
America, congratulated NUMMI for achieving this latest production milestone.
"NUMMI," he said, "was Toyota's first vehicle manufacturing operation in the
U.S. and it continues to be a critical component in our globalization
efforts."
    At today's plant celebration, Don Esmond, group vice president and general
manager of the Toyota Division for Toyota Motor Sales, said from the minute
NUMMI opened its doors, it has been something special.  "The plant has been
recognized with four JD Power awards for Plant Quality (two Silver, two
Bronze), and since the truck's introduction in 1991, it has been honored with
five JD Power awards for Initial Quality." He added that Tacoma has twice been
honored as "Pickup Truck of the Year" by Four Wheeler magazine.  "And," he
continued, "Tacoma is selling well.  It is currently on a pace to better last
year's sales performance by about eight percent.  In fact, Tacoma has improved
its sales performance over the previous year for the last two years in a row.
This year should be no exception."
    To commemorate the one-millionth truck at today's plant celebration,
Esmond and Ishii presented a Toyota Tacoma to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum,
based in Walnut Creek, Calif.  The museum is the oldest and one of the largest
wildlife rehabilitation centers in the U.S.
    "The Toyota Tacoma will be a very valuable tool for Lindsay Wildlife
Museum's research, rehabilitation, community outreach and education programs,"
added Dean Harper, president, board of directors, Lindsay Wildlife Museum.
Toyota now makes a total of seven vehicle models between four plants in North
America.  Together, they are expected to produce over one million cars and
trucks this year for the first time ever in a calendar year.  In addition, the
company produces parts and components in five other plants in the U.S. and
Canada.  Toyota's total North American direct manufacturing employment now
exceeds 20,000.