NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota today
announced a $1 million contribution
to the American Red Cross and other nonprofit organizations to
support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Sandy in the
regions worst-hit by the storm. In addition, Toyota will match
employee contributions to the American Red Cross and other
non-profits doing relief and recovery work in affected
communities.
Commenting on the donation, Shigeki
Terashi, president and chief operating officer of Toyota
Motor North America, Inc., said, "On behalf of Toyota, we express
our sincere condolences to the families affected by Hurricane
Sandy. Since we have operations and many dealerships in the
affected regions, we felt a special responsibility to lend a hand.
In addition to this contribution, many Toyota employees are already
involved in volunteer activities to support those in need. We
very much appreciate their support."
Beginning Nov. 1st, Toyota
Financial Services (TFS) and Lexus Financial Services (LFS) will
launch a "Customer Outreach" calling campaign to lease and retail
customers who are delinquent, or become delinquent, due to
circumstances related to the storm and who reside in the 13 states
directly impacted by the hurricane (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ,
NY, PA, RI, VA, VT and WV) and in the District of Columbia.
This campaign will determine if these customers may be eligible to
take advantage of payment relief options, some of which
include:
- extensions and lease deferred payments;
- redirecting billing statements;
- and arranging phone or on-line payments.
Toyota Financial customers with questions about their account
should call (800) 874-8822. Lexus Financial customers with
questions about their account should call (800) 874-7050. Qualified
residents residing in FEMA-designated areas (of the above-mentioned
states and the District) needing to purchase a vehicle may also
take advantage of a 90 Day Deferred First Payment Program designed
to assist customers with their transportation needs as they work
through the recovery process. This program is for a limited time
and only available through participating Toyota and Lexus dealers
and TFS/LFS.
Toyota Operations
Toyota continues to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy
to its operations on the East Coast and reports no known injuries
to associates, family members and dealer employees. The storm
had the biggest impact on company operations and dealerships in the
New Jersey area. Some
regional/branch offices, as well as Toyota, Lexus and Scion
dealerships, were affected by flooding and power outages.
Toyota Logistics Services operations at the Port of Newark (N.J.) sustained water damage to its
buildings and a number of vehicles.
About Toyota
Toyota (NYSE: TM) established operations in North America in 1957 and currently operates
14 manufacturing plants. There are more than 1,800 Toyota,
Lexus and Scion dealerships in North
America which sold over 1.8 million vehicles in 2011. Toyota
directly employs more than 37,000 people in North America and its investment here is
currently valued at more than $23
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 nearly $25
billion.
For more information about Toyota, visit
www.ToyotaInAction.com or www.ToyotaNewsroom.com.
Contact:
Javier Moreno
Toyota Motor North America, Inc.
212-715-7469
jmoreno@tma.toyota.com
SOURCE Toyota