Of the more than fifty years Toyota has been in Canada, 2017 stands out as one of the best.
Not only did last year see record-breaking Toyota sales, but it also saw Toyota maintain top position for numbers vehicles made in Canada - making a significant contribution to the economy.
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI)’s primary supplier - Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) was the number one automaker in Canada with 571,535 units built. This number includes popular Toyota vehicles such as the Toyota Corolla and RAV4 - both made in Canada.
More than 40 per cent of the vehicles Toyota sold in Canada last year were built here, while TMMC was also a net exporter of vehicles.
Production in 2017 takes the total number of vehicles made in Canada to seven million since Toyota began building vehicles here back in 1988. Today, a skilled workforce of approximately 8,000 Canadians builds Toyota vehicles at assembly plants in Cambridge and Woodstock, Ontario.
This workforce in turn relies on thousands of people across the country who supply parts and services – increasing Toyota’s impact on the economy even further.
This Canadian production supported TCI’s record-breaking Canadian vehicle sales figures. Led by record hybrid, truck and Lexus sales, Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) recorded its best sales year ever in 2017, with an overall annual sales growth of 3.1 per cent and 224,547 vehicles sold.
“We have a very strong partnership with TMMC and its Team Members, and each Toyota vehicle manufactured delivers the quality, dependability and reliability that our Canadian customers have come to expect,” said Larry Hutchinson, President and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc.
“The support of our Canadian customers – and their communities across the country – has allowed us to grow our business in Canada for over 50 years.”
The growth in hybrid vehicle sales aren’t the only sign of moves towards Toyota’s vision of sustainable mobility here in Canada. In January, Toyota Canada announced that the hydrogen-powered Mirai would be coming to Quebec later this year. In addition, the Prius Prime plug-in hybrid (currently available in Quebec) will soon be available across Canada.
The strong Canadian vehicle production numbers aren't the only positive piece of economic news for Toyota in Canada. Toyota’s roots in Canada are set to extend even further with the recently announced plans to build its new Eastern Canada Parts Distribution Centre (PDC) in Bowmanville, Ontario.
To meet growing demand and accommodate future growth – and to ensure that Toyota and Lexus customers across Eastern Canada continue to have an exceptional ownership experience - TCI will be replacing its current PDC facilities located in Toronto with a new, fully optimized facility in Durham Region.
Toyota Canada plans to begin construction of the new facility in 2018, with the goal of starting operations in the fall of 2019.
