Toyota to Seed More U.S. Research
February 25, 2008

By Bill Visnic

News from the U.S. financial media cites a report from Japan as saying Toyota Motor Corp. plans to fund several new advanced-research groups in the U.S.

Media in Japan are reporting Toyota will establish new U.S.-based research teams for alternative energy, safety and advanced materials. The company typically has engaged such long-term research only in Japan.

The Nikkei business daily says each team will comprise modest staffing of 30 or 40, and the personnel will come from both Japan and U.S. institutions and universities. The report also said Toyota has no firm timeline for establishing the new U.S. research activities.

Bill Reinert, Toyota Motor Sales USA’s national manager-advanced technology group, told AutoObserver he is as yet unaware of any details regarding the announcement, but said he “would not be surprised to see more research and development” sourced to various regions outside of Japan.

Toyota is a multinational company, Reinert said, adding, “There’s so much (research and engineering) work that has to be done,” that it becomes dangerous to become too centralized for such activities. He said if there is too much centralization, “rapid communication starts to fail.”

Toyota’s break from its tradition of basing fundamental research in Japan could help the company to better leverage intellectual resources in the U.S., and perhaps even take advantage of the weak dollar. But Reinert said he expects Toyota to embark on similar strategies for other regions as well, as the demands of global research and development become a 24-hour-a-day endeavor.

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