Our goal is to keep you informed about our worldwide progress on environmental matters. Thank you for your interest in Toyota's efforts to become a greener automaker.
--Irv Miller, Group Vice President, Corporate
Communications Department, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
Toyota To Produce Camry Hybrid Sedans In The U.S. On May 17, Toyota announced that it will produce a hybrid version of the Camry midsize sedan at its Georgetown, Kentucky plant. Camry is America's most popular car, with sales topping 425,000 units in 2004. By offering a Camry hybrid option, Toyota will give a large number of car buyers the opportunity to choose a hybrid drivetrain, an important step in the mainstreaming of hybrid vehicles.
The Camry hybrid will be the first Toyota hybrid vehicle built in the U.S. Production will begin in the second half of 2006, with an annual capacity of up to 48,000 units. Its gasoline engine will be manufactured on site, and the hybrid electrical components will come from Japan.
Toyota has sold more than 360,000 hybrid vehicles worldwide, and is on target to meet its goal of producing 300,000 hybrids annually by 2005. The Camry hybrid will be the fourth hybrid to be produced by Toyota for the U.S. market, following Prius, Highlander Hybrid, and the Lexus division's RX 400h luxury SUV.
Toyota receives environmental awards
Toyota has received Portland, Oregon's 2005 BEST Award for BEST Practices for Sustainability. Standing for Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow, the BEST award honors the extensive sustainable features in Toyota's 98,000-square-foot Port of Portland Vehicle Distribution Center.
New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) has received the Susanne Wilson Award for Pollution Prevention/Resource Conservation (Large Company). An assembly plant jointly owned by Toyota and General Motors in Fremont, California, NUMMI has significantly reduced the production of solid waste and consumption of energy and water using Toyota's Enhanced Environmental Management System. The award was given at Acterra's 14th Business Environmental Awards reception in Palo Alto. Acterra is an organization whose mission is to protect the area's natural environment through stewardship, education, and leadership. The Business Environmental Awards honor innovative programs and achievements that contribute toward a sustainable Bay Area.
Toyota has earned a 2005 ENERGY STAR designation from the U.S. EPA for Toyota Plaza in Gardena, California. The label distinguishes the building as one of the top 25 percent of similar buildings in energy performance, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and illumination levels.
Toyota environmental sponsorships and support
Toyota was a sponsor of the 15th annual Tour de Sol, a sustainable energy transportation festival, road rally, and competition held in Saratoga Springs and Albany, New York. Tour de Sol is produced by the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, an organization dedicated to promoting the understanding, development, and adoption of energy conservation and nonpolluting, renewable energy technologies.
Toyota has provided a major gift to sponsor a fuel cell exhibit by the University of California, Irvine's National Fuel Cell Research Center in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2005 World's Fair in Japan. The exhibit demonstrates the fuel cell's promise as a dependable, efficient, and environmentally friendly power supply. Nearly 2 million visitors are expected at EXPO 2005, which is themed "Nature's Wisdom."
Toyota was a sponsor of "Drive Clean and Green Across Missouri," an event organized by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Energy Center and the St. Louis Regional Clean Cities and Kansas City Clean Cities coalitions. A Prius was among the vehicles in a caravan of hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles that made its way through the state of Missouri.
In Newport, Kentucky, Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America has donated $25,000 to Newport Aquarium's nonprofit arm, the WAVE Foundation. The gift supports the NavOps portion of the National Submarine Science Discovery Center (NSSDC). The funds will be used to subsidize a life science program designed to provide fifth-grade students with an understanding of all living organisms' dependence on water.
Produced by Robert Oberhand & Assoc., Chatsworth, CA, in conjunction with Toyota Corporate Communications Department.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.
