Toyota sets up R&D center in China

Shanghai November 17 (Gasgoo.com) Toyota Motor Corp announced today that it has set up a wholly-owned research and development (R&D) center in Changshu, east China's Jiangsu province, according to sohu.com.

The Japanese automaker's new R&D unit, Toyota Motor Engineering ＆ Manufacturing (China) Co., Ltd. (TMEC), is located in the Changshu Southeast Economic Development Zone, and will begin partial operations next spring.

Through establishment of TMEC, the world's largest carmaker expects to provide the Chinese consumers with products tailored to their needs while taking into account of the products' environmental and safety performance. In the future, it will further improve its market research and R&D work in China, in conjunction with the existing R&D centers in its local joint ventures.

Specifically, TEMC will assist Toyota's Japanese R$D centers in the following operations: (1) to carry out investigations of the environment in terms of vehicle use and of consumers' demand for products, and to reflect the results in the product planning; (2) to verify the quality of products imported into China; (3) to implement investigation and research of energy-saving and new-energy vehicles in the local market; (4) to develop engines for the Chinese market and research alternative-energy vehicles; and (5) to cultivate local talents in China based on the above operations.