Toyota Donates $1 Million to Support Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts

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
[email protected]

SOURCE Toyota