Toyota Celebrates 35 Years of Research and Development in the United States

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Technical Center (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America, Inc. will celebrate their 35^th Anniversary with team members and executives this week at their locations in Michigan, Arizona, and California.

Toyota Technical Center (TTC) has been the driving force behind Toyota's North American engineering and research & development (R&D) activities since 1977. Headquartered in Michigan, TTC has R&D facilities in Ann Arbor, Saline, Plymouth and Livonia.  In California, TTC has R&D facilities in Gardena and Torrance and operates the Toyota Arizona Proving Ground near Phoenix. 

TTC has major vehicle development responsibility for Avalon, Sienna, Tundra, Tacoma, Venza and RAV4 EV.  The 2013 Avalon and 2012 RAV4 Electric Vehicle are the latest vehicles to have been engineered at TTC.  In 2011, TTC established the Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) to complement its advanced research activities.  CSRC has committed $50 million towards safety related research. As of September 2012, CSRC has partnered with sixteen universities, agencies and research institutions on twenty six projects to help advance auto safety research across the industry.

Giving Back to Our Community

To mark the 35^th anniversary, TTC Team Members selected ten non-profit organizations in their communities and Toyota is donating a total of $35,000 to these agencies.  Additionally, TTC donated a total of $12,500 to the six Fire Departments that serve their communities. Amanda Uhle, Executive Director of 826Michigan, an after-school tutoring program and one of the recipients, commented, "We are honored and delighted by this gift.  I remain so grateful for Toyota's partnership and community support over the years. It means the world to us!"  Another recipient was Packages from Home, Judy Hayes-Packing Coordinator said, "Thank you for your generous contribution in support of our military.  This is our 4th year partnering with Toyota to send packages to our Troops. It has been a great experience!"   

Organizations receiving 35^th Anniversary donations are:
* 826 Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Ele's Place, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Girls on the Run, Ann Arbor, Michigan * Growing Hope, Ypsilanti, Michigan * The Hope Clinic, Ypsilanti, Michigan * Packages from Home, Phoenix, Arizona * Humane Society, Phoenix, Arizona * 186^th Street School, Gardena, California * Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Los Angeles, California * Lymphoma Research Foundation, Los Angeles, California.

Toyota Technical Center believes that in addition to their monetary grants, it's equally important to volunteer within the communities we work and live.  In 2011, 553 TTC volunteers participated in over 40 community opportunities.  "I am very proud of the Team Members at all of our locations," said TTC Vice President Ed Mantey.  "In the Toyota spirit of giving back to our communities, the TTC Team Members demonstrate their commitment and are recognized by many citizens and community leaders throughout the year."

"Over the past 35 years, our outstanding workforce has dedicated itself to engineering quality vehicles right here in the North America," said TTC President Seiya Nakao.  "Toyota is committed to leading the way to the future of mobility and enriching lives around the world with the safest and most responsive ways of moving people.  Building on 35 years of experience, we look forward to creating great Toyota products for our American Customers."

SOURCE Toyota Technical Center