ANN ARBOR, Mich., Sept. 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota
Technical Center (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering
& Manufacturing, N.A.(TEMA), announced an investment of more
than $28M to expand its powertrain
operations at two facilities in Ann
Arbor, Michigan.
The new growth will support powertrain development capability,
specifically in the areas of design, evaluation and calibration on
new engine and transmission projects. Beefing up these three areas
in Ann Arbor is just the latest
example of Toyota's commitment to drive more local decision-making
and ultimately faster, more precise response to its customers. "An
expansion of this magnitude takes good team work with local
partnerships," said Simon Nagata,
president of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North
America, Inc. "Our friends at Michigan Economic Development
Corporation, Ann Arbor SPARK and Ann
Arbor Township have been at the table with us to make this
expansion possible."
"Toyota is a global leader in the automotive industry and its
growth in Michigan is welcome news
for all of us," Governor Rick Snyder
said. "Toyota's commitment strongly signals that Michigan offers an improved climate for
increased business investment. We welcome this very positive
decision."
Paul Krutko, president of Ann
Arbor SPARK adds, "Toyota chose to locate and take root here
because of local resources, specifically the deep pool of
engineering and technical talent. Ann Arbor SPARK, working
with its partners at the local and state level, is committed
to attracting leaders like Toyota to the region, and offering
them the wide range of support to grow their businesses here."
"Ann Arbor Township and Toyota
have worked together for 36 years," said Mike Moran, supervisor, Ann Arbor Township. "We are pleased to assist
Toyota to transition the Technical Center into this new use, and
look forward to at least another 36 years together."
The expansion projects will occur in Ann Arbor and position TTC to develop engines
and automatic transmissions for the North American designed and
manufactured vehicles. For over 10 years, Toyota has been
manufacturing engines and transmissions in the U.S. and in the past
20 months Toyota has invested about $2
billion in its North American manufacturing facilities,
adding more than 4,000 new jobs.
About Toyota: Toyota, the world's top automaker and
creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way
people live through our Toyota, Lexus and Scion
brands. Over the past 50 years, we've built more than 25
million cars and trucks in North
America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the
U.S.) and directly employ nearly 40,000 people (more than 37,000 in
the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships sold more
than 2.3 million cars and trucks in 2012 – and about 80 percent of
all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the
road today.
Toyota partners with philanthropic organizations across the
country, with a focus on education, safety and the
environment. As part of this commitment, we share the
company's extensive know-how garnered from building great cars and
trucks to help community organizations and other nonprofits expand
their ability to do good. (NYSE:TM) For more
information about Toyota, visit
www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc.
(TEMA), is responsible for Toyota's engineering design,
development, R&D and manufacturing activities in North
America. TEMA's Toyota Technical Center (TTC) operates
engineering, research and development facilities in Ann Arbor, MI, including Toyota's
Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC).
About Ann Arbor SPARK: Ann Arbor SPARK, a non-profit
organization, is advancing the region by encouraging and supporting
business acceleration, attraction and retention. The organization
identifies and meets the needs of business at every stage, from
start-ups to large organizations. Ann Arbor SPARK collaborates with
business, academic, government, and community investor partners
including the University of Michigan,
Eastern Michigan University,
Washtenaw Community College,
Washtenaw County, Livingston County, Washtenaw County etcs/Michigan Works!, the
City of Ann Arbor, Bank of
Ann Arbor and the Michigan
Economic Development Corporation. For more information, please call
(734) 761-9317 or visit www.AnnArborUSA.org.
About Michigan Economic Development Corporation: Pure
Michigan is a brand representing
business, talent and tourism initiatives across Michigan.
These efforts are driven by the Michigan Economic Development
Corporation, which serves as the state's marketing arm and lead
advocate for business growth, jobs and opportunity with a focus on
helping grow Michigan's
economy. For more on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit:
MichiganBusiness.org. For Michigan
travel news, updates and information, visit michigan.org.
SOURCE Toyota