Toyota Canada Inc.

Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive distributor of Toyota, Lexus and Scion cars, SUVs and trucks in Canada. Founded in 1964, Toyota has sold more than 4 million vehicles in Canada through a national network of 285 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships. TCI's head office is located in Toronto, Ontario, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. In January 2013, TCI became a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) with 51% ownership share and Mitsui & Co. Ltd. as minority 49% shareholder.[1] The current CEO and president of Toyota Canada is Larry Hutchinson, who replaced Seiji Ichii on January 1, 2016.[2] In October 1990, TCI expanded its operations to begin selling luxury vehicles to Canadians through the Lexus brand. Twenty years later, in October 2010, TCI further expanded its sales operations to begin selling Scion branded vehicles in Canada. As of July 2014, there are 247 Toyota, 38 Lexus, and 92 Scion franchises in Canada.[3]

Not to be confused with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada.
Toyota Canada
TypeSubsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation
IndustryAutomotive
Founded1964
Headquarters
Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario
Area served
Canada
Key people
Larry Hutchinson (CEO)
ProductsMainstream/Performance vehicles
Automotive parts
BrandsToyota, Lexus
ServicesVehicle leasing, Vehicle service, Automotive finance
OwnerToyota Motor Corporation (51%)
Mitsui & Co. Ltd. (49%)
Number of employees
700 (TCI)
11,000 (Toyota & group companies)
24,000 (All Toyota companies & Dealers)
ParentToyota Motor Corporation
Websitetoyota.ca

In 2014 half (50.0%) of all Toyota vehicles sold in Canada were built at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. (TMMC) while 83.0% of all Toyota vehicles sold in Canada were produced at one of Toyota's 14 plants throughout North America. By comparison, in 2001 only 32.1% of Toyota vehicles sold in Canada were produced in Canada and only 45.1% were produced in North America. In 2017, Toyota Canada Inc. experienced its best year of sales to date with 224,547 vehicles sold, a 3.1% increase in overall annual sales growth.[4] As of December 2013, Toyota, its group companies and dealerships have invested more than CDN $9 Billion in Canada and employ more than 24,000 Canadians from coast-to-coast.[5]

Toyota Canada Inc Head Office in Toronto, Ontario

Beginning September 2014, Toyota celebrated its 50th Anniversary in Canada. The anniversary festivities began with the introduction of a special edition 2015 Toyota Corolla S and special edition 2015 RAV4 sporting unique Canadian interior and exterior features and paint colours. Only 2000 of each of these vehicles were produced for Canada.[6]

Manufacturing and engineering in Canada

Toyota operates two vehicle manufacturing facilities in Canada; one in Cambridge, Ontario and another in Woodstock, Ontario. The Cambridge Facility currently produces the Toyota RAV4 (since 2019) and Lexus RX 350 (since 2003) and RX 450h (since 2014) and formerly produced the Toyota Corolla (1988–2019), Solara (1998–2003), and Matrix (2002–2013). The Woodstock Facility currently only builds the RAV4 which has been in production since 2007.

Since opening in 1988, TMMC has built more than 6 million vehicles[7] for Canadian and U.S. consumers with the vast majority (approximately 4.6 million) being exported to the United States. In September 2003, TMMC's Cambridge facility was expanded and became the first Toyota plant outside Japan to manufacture a luxury vehicle Lexus RX). Production was further expanded in 2014 to also produce the (Lexus RX 450h. It is expected to continue to be the only Lexus manufacturer outside Japan until Fall 2015 when Lexus ES 350 production is expected to commence at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK).[8] In 2014, TMMC remains the largest Toyota plant in North America by production volume (579,411 vehicles) with a 15% increase in production versus 2013.

The Toyota's Canadian operation has received various awards and recognitions. TMMC's plant has earned 14 J.D. Power & Associates Plant Quality awards including SIX (6) Gold awards and TWO (2) coveted Platinum Plant Quality Award in 2011 and 2014 – the first Toyota plant outside Japan that has ever won this award.[9][10]

Toyota also operates several parts manufacturing operations in Canada including Canadian Auto Parts Toyota, Inc. (CAPTIN), a wholly owned subsidiary of TMC which manufactures aluminum alloy wheels for the global market. Established in Delta, British Columbia in 1983, the 24,645 m2 facility produced approximately 1.7 million aluminum alloy wheels and employed 310 people in 2013.[11] In August 2011, CAPTIN and the University of British Columbia announced a partnership to refine the manufacturing process for water-cooled die casting to produce stronger, lighter and lower-cost aluminum wheels.[12]

Toyota Canada's Cold Weather Testing Centre was established in 1974 in Timmins, Ontario to test vehicles from across Toyota's global lineup to ensure optimal performance in extreme cold weather conditions. With the addition of a cold chamber, Toyota can test vehicles year-round in harsh sub-zero conditions to ensure that vehicles meet highest customer expectations.[13]

Safety

In 2011, Toyota introduced the Star Safety System™ as standard on every new vehicle. It features six advanced accident avoidance safety technologies:

  1. Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) - helps prevent brakes from locking up by "pulsing" brake pressure to each wheel to help you stay in control in emergency braking situations
  2. Brake Assist - is designed to detect sudden or "panic" braking and adds the full pressure needed to help prevent a collision
  3. Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD) – helps keep the vehicle more stable and balanced when braking
  4. Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) - helps prevent wheel slip and loss of traction by reducing engine power and applying brake force to the wheels that need it
  5. Traction Control - helps maintain traction on wet, icy, loose or uneven surfaces by applying brake force to the spinning wheel(s)
  6. Smart Stop Technology - automatically cuts engine power and allows the brakes to take precedence over the accelerator when both pedals are pressed at the same time

In January 2011, Toyota launched the Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) to serve as a catalyst for the advancement of auto safety in North America. Toyota shares its talent, technology and data with many research partners, including the University of Toronto, who focus on some of the most pressing issues of the day, from improving driver-and-vehicle command interfaces to advanced pre-crash notification systems. Most importantly, Toyota shares the results of its research so that the entire automotive industry can benefit.[14]

Toyota also partners with other stakeholders engaged in road safety research, in the development of safe driving programs and new safety technologies, and in hands-on driver education. The Traffic Injury Research Foundation (TIRF) is Canada's road safety research institute. Since 2002, Toyota Canada has partnered with TIRF to conduct studies and develop educational resources for young drivers and, more recently, turned the focus to helping all Canadians better understand the often complex and wide-ranging safety technologies in today's automobiles.[15]

kartSTART is a hands-on driver's education program that uses go-karts to introduce young drivers to the demands and dynamics of life behind the wheel.[16]

Advanced technology powertrains

TCI markets hybrid electric vehicles under the Toyota and Lexus brands throughout Canada, including the Prius, the world's first mass-produced gas-electric hybrid vehicle. Since the launch of the Prius in Canada in 2000, Toyota and Lexus have added an additional 10 hybrids and 1 hybrid plug-in vehicle to its Canadian model line-up:

  1. Toyota Prius
  2. Toyota Prius c
  3. Toyota Prius v
  4. Toyota Camry Hybrid
  5. Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid
  6. Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  7. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
  8. Lexus CT 200h
  9. Lexus ES 300h
  10. Lexus GS 450h
  11. Lexus LS 600h L
  12. Lexus RX 450h
  13. Lexus NX 300h

Since the introduction of the Toyota Prius in 2000, more than 75% of all hybrid vehicles sold in Canada were made by Toyota. In September 2014, Toyota celebrated the sale of its 100,000th hybrid vehicle in Canada. Toyota estimates that Toyota and Lexus hybrids have saved Canadians almost 260 million litres of fuel - the equivalent of 103 Olympic-sized swimming pools.[17]

Environment

Since 2001, Toyota Canada Inc. has maintained ISO 14001 registration for an effective environmental management system (EMS).[18] TCI's head office was the first Toyota facility in North America to achieve this certification. TCI has established a Corporate Environmental Policy[19] which outlines its commitment towards continually reducing the daily impact of all its activities, services and operations. TCI also contributes to the publication of an annual North American Environmental Report[20] on progress, success, and future inspirations. A number of Toyota's Canadian dealerships have also achieved LEED Gold Standard, one of the strictest levels of LEED certification.

Since 2000, through the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds, Toyota Canada and its dealerships have contributed over $3.2 million in grants to more than 5,500 schools and impacted more than 1.15 Million students through projects that transform school grounds into green outdoor classrooms.[21]

Notes
  1. "Toyota Brings Outsiders Into The Fold". The Globe and Mail. 2013-04-06. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  2. "Toyota Canada's CEO to leave job". The Globe and Mail. 2011-12-11. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  3. "Toyota Investing In Canada". Toyota Canada Inc. 2015-01-08. Archived from the original on 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  4. "Toyota Canada Inc. Records Best Sales Year Ever in 2017". Toyota. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
  5. "Toyota Investing In Canada". Toyota Canada Inc. 2014-04-29. Archived from the original on 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  6. "TOYOTA CANADA:Build and Price". Toyota Canada Inc. 2015-01-08. Retrieved 2015-01-08.
  7. "Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada donates Rav4 to CMHA in celebration of its six-millionth vehicle". Woodstock Sentinel Review. 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  8. "Lexus' New Kentucky Home Celebrates First Milestone". Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. 2014-01-08. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  9. "Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Celebrates J.D. Power Platinum Plant Quality Award". Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. 2011-11-18. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  10. "Plant Awards". Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Inc. 2014-07-07. Archived from the original on 2014-07-01. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  11. "Manufacturing In Canada". Toyota Canada Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  12. "UBC and Toyota receive federal funds to re-invent wheel manufacturing". University of British Columbia - Public Affairs. 2011-08-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  13. "Toyota In North America". Toyota Canada Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  14. "Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center". Toyota Motor Sales, USA., Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  15. "About The Program". Brain on Board, Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  16. "kartSTART". kartSTART, Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  17. "Toyota reaches milestone of 100,000 hybrids sold in Canada". Toyota Canada Inc. 2014-09-03. Retrieved 2014-09-25.
  18. "Toyota Canada reaches 10 years of ISO 14001 compliance". Toyota Canada Inc. Newsroom. 2011-11-23. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  19. "Corporate Environmental Policy". Toyota Canada Inc., Inc. 2014-04-29. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  20. "2013 North American Environmental Report". Toyota Motor Sales, USA., Inc, Inc. 2014-04-29. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2014-04-29.
  21. "Environment - Toyota Canada". Toyota Canada. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
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