Tokyo, Japan, June 12, 2006 - (JCN Newswire) - Toyota Motor Corporation (TSE: 7203; NYSE: TM) announced today that Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. (SFTM), a joint vehicle-production company established with China FAW Group Corporation (FAW) in China in 2005, has added a second version of the Land Cruiser Prado to its production lineup, raising SFTM's overall annual production capacity from 20,000 units to 23,000 units.
The newly added version of the Land Cruiser Prado - the higher-grade Land Cruiser Prado VX - started rolling off the line today at SFTM's Chengdu Plant, which also makes the Land Cruiser Prado GX(*1). Both versions are for the Chinese market; until now, the Land Cruiser VX sold in China was only made in Japan.
Like the Land Cruiser Prado GX, the Land Cruiser Prado VX is to be sold through FAW Toyota Motor Sales Co., Ltd.'s approximately 220 authorized dealers, which started accepting orders from customers today. The Land Cruiser Prado VX is priced at 558,000 Chinese yuan (approximately 7.87 million yen).2 Originally named and established as Sichuan Toyota Motor Co., Ltd., in November 1998; re-established in July 2005 as SFTM through merger with Changchun FAW Fengyue Auto Co., Ltd., which was established in July 2003.
About Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation (TSE: 7203; NYSE: TM) develops and manufactures vehicles, and is one of the largest car manufacturers in the world, offering a wide range of products from minivehicles to trucks. In addition to its core business, Toyota has a large business portfolio in financial services, including sales finance, vehicle insurance, and credit cards. It is also involved in telecommunications through a subsidiary that provides cellular services in Japan. Other diversified businesses include industrial equipment, prefabricated housing and leisure boats.
