Toyota Leads the Future of Mobility Conversation at 2013 Aspen Ideas Festival

TORRANCE, Calif., June 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota will help advance the national conversation around the future of mobility and advanced technologies such as hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and autonomous cars with its first-time presence at the Aspen Ideas Festival from June 26 to July 2 in Aspen, Colo. Toyota is a presenting underwriter of the ninth annual festival, which will bring together 300 thinkers and leaders from around the country to discuss issues of global importance.

Chris Hostetter, group vice president of strategic planning for Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., along with North American Business Strategy Corporate Manager Jim Pisz and Senior Strategic Planner of Advanced Technology Jaycie Chitwood, will speak to the policy, economic and infrastructure implications of these new technologies.

"Participating in the Aspen Ideas Festival provides Toyota a wonderful opportunity to talk with hundreds of highly respected leaders and thinkers about issues that impact our safety, our economies and our urban environments," Hostetter said. "Toyota's research and investments demonstrate our commitment to reducing climate impacts and advancing real-world driving safety. We are looking forward to adding our thoughts and expertise to the conversation that will take place in Aspen."

Toyota, which has put more than 5 million hybrid vehicles on the road around the world since 1997, has set hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as a key research and development priority for the company. It has committed to introducing a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell sedan by 2015. Toyota's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle – Advanced (FCHV-adv), part of a fleet of 100 in a nationwide demonstration program, will be on-site at the festival.

Toyota's participation in the Aspen Ideas Festival includes the involvement of TMS, the Toyota Technical Center and the Collaborative Safety Research Center, which shares Toyota talent, technology and data with a broad range of institutions and regulators to achieve results that will benefit society.

Along with the FCHV-adv, a Toyota RAV4 EV and Lexus LS will be on display to showcase advanced technologies that are on the road today.

Also while at the Aspen Ideas Festival, Toyota executives will spend time with 24 teens who participated in the Aspen Challenge, which involved young people designing solutions to some of the nation's most difficult problems. They will join a facilitated discussion around urban mobility, as well as test out Toyota's distracted driving simulator.

For more information about Toyota's environmental, safety and quality activities and initiatives, visit www.toyota.com/esq.

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 2.3 million vehicles in 2012. Toyota directly employs nearly 39,000 people in North America and its investment here is currently valued at more than $27 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 over $26 billion.

Public Website: www.toyota.com  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030501/TOYLOGO)

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.