Toyota Technical Center celebrated the grand opening of its new engineering and safety testing facilities in Ann Arbor Thursday with Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm and United States Congressman John Dingell, as well as several hundred government officials, community leaders, suppliers and Toyota team members.

TTC, a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, already has a site in Ann Arbor. With the expansion in York Township, TTC is adding 400 new jobs and will boost its employment to 1,100 by 2010.

"Toyota’s investment of $187 million to advance research and development demonstrates our commitment to the North American automotive industry,” said Shigeki Terashi, TTC president. “TTC has been conducting R&D activity in Michigan for over 30 years and recognizes Southeast Michigan as the center for automotive R&D in North America.”

Added Granholm: “The Toyota Technical Center is a huge win for Michigan and our workers -- our reputation as the automotive capital of the world brought Toyota here, and we will continue to attract R&D and advanced manufacturing jobs because of our global leadership in automotive research and development.”

Toyota (NYSE: TM) established Toyota Technical Center in 1977 in Ann Arbor. TTC is engaged in engineering design, prototype building, vehicle evaluation and engineering, materials engineering, powertrain tuning and design, regulatory affairs and advanced technical research. TTC has developed the Avalon, Sienna, Solara, Tundra and Venza vehicles for the North American market.

More at www.toyota.com.