Tokyo—TOYOTA MOTOR CORPORATION (TMC) announced today that it plans to establish a Thailand-Australia research and development base to better respond to the diversifying and ever-more-sophisticated needs of growing markets in Asia and Oceania. Toyota Technical Center Asia Pacific Thailand Co. Ltd. (TTCAP-TH) and Toyota Technical Center Asia Pacific Australia Pty. Ltd. (TTCAP-AU)—each with its own technology development facilities—are to, together, constitute TMC’s third overseas R&D base.
The announcement was made at simultaneous press conferences today in Bangkok, Thailand, and Melbourne, Australia. Speaking in Bangkok, TMC Senior Managing Director Hiroyuki Watanabe, whose responsibilities include R&D management and overseas product development, called the new base “another important step for our future success”. Speaking in Melbourne, TMC Director Kazutoshi Minami, also tasked with supervising overseas product development, said: “We believe these centers will provide the resources and knowledge to serve our customers in both regions better than ever before.” Local Toyota officials and others also attended the press conferences.
The new R&D base, in addition to similar facilities in Japan, North America and Europe, is also aimed at reinforcing TMC’s overall product development capabilities. Its two-country formula seeks to reap the benefits of Thailand’s potential and geographical advantage and Australia’s proven achievements in automobile development. TTCAP-TH and TTCAP-AU are both scheduled to be formally established shortly and to begin operations in the later half of 2004.
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