The new president of Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. (TMP) said vehicle manufacturing from completely-knocked down (CKD) remains at the core of the company’s business.
At the ceremonial turnover on Tuesday, Masando Hashimoto also said Toyota will continuously evolve to become a “one-stop provider” of mobility solutions, including public utility vehicle transportation.
“Let us altogether promote the Philippine-made for the Filipino,” said Hashimoto as he announced the next generation Tamaraw, TMP’s third CKD model, will be a touchstone for the company this year.
“(Tamaraw) will be the next ‘vehicle of change’ for the small business or MSME (micro, small and medium enterprises) sector it aims to support,” Hashimoto said.
He said TMP’s investments for this model, amounting to P5.5 billion, have created opportunities for enhancing skills and building expertise in vehicle conversion.
Hashimoto said Toyota, despite being a leader in the local market, “should and will never become complacent.”
“One of our goals is to contribute to economic balance so we will continue to enhance our very own automotive and parts manufacturing capabilities,” he said.
TMP currently produces the Vios and the Innova at its plant in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.
