"BANGKOK, Thailand -- Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it planned to use a new Bangkok regional research and technical center to develop future truck and passenger car models designed mainly for Asian markets.
Toyota executives told reporters the Japanese automaker's planned $64.7 million research center in eastern Bangkok was likely to produce its first Thai-developed vehicle in 2006."
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"Toyota unveiled the research center project Thursday, saying the unit would start operating from the second half of 2004. A similar project to be launched in Australia was announced simultaneously by the company.
The Bangkok and Melbourne research centers will be the first of their kind for Toyota in Asia outside Japan.
Hiroyuki Watanabe, Toyota's senior managing director, said at a news conference that the Thai center reflected the company's policy of developing vehicles closer to their destined markets."
[And no doubt also reflects uncertain times in Japan itself and lower costs just about everywhere else.]
http://www.autonews.com/news.cms?newsId=5571