Toyota will jack up Durban volumes

SA positioned as a global production base
ed richardson
TRAFFIC THROUGH the port of Durban will be given a boost by Toyota’s plans to increase production to 200 000 vehicles a year.
Toyota SA president and CEO, Dr Johan van Zyl, says the company aims to sell 150 000 vehicles on the domestic market and export 100 000 vehicles annually by 2010. This will require the company’s local production to increase to 200 000 units a year. Last year a record total of 112 861 units was produced at Toyota’s manufacturing plant in Prospecton, near Durban.
Over the last three years Toyota SA has invested heavily in modern technology at its plant. The latest project, currently underway, is the erection of a water-based paint plant that will cost R1-billion by the time it is completed in 2006.
Toyota SA’s export drive is set to continue at an increased pace and 2005 will see the company continuing its Corolla export programme to Australia, and starting to export a new light commercial vehicle and sports utility vehicle to Europe and Africa as part of the IMV (International or Innovative Multipurpose Vehicle) project.
Toyota South Africa says it will generate more than R120 billion in sales during the
7-year life cycle of new Toyota Hilux bakkies. Van Zyl, describes the programme as “arguably the biggest project of its type ever undertaken by the South African automotive industry”.
According to Kunio Komada, Toyota Motor Corporation’s managing officer responsible for Europe and Africa, South Africa was positioned as one of the global production bases in Toyota’s world strategy.
“We expect Toyota South Africa to take a great leap forward as one of the key players in Toyota’s global supply network and, for the first time in the company’s history, Toyota SA will be exporting a new vehicle to Europe as part of the IMV operation,” he said. The IMC (International or Innovative Multipurpose Vehicle) is a world strategic model to be produced in South Africa, Thailand, Argentina and Indonesia.