Toyota to Unveil its New Pickup Truck at Indiana State Fair
15 July 1998
Toyota will Unveil its All-New Full-Size Pickup Truck at Indiana State FairTORRANCE, Calif., July 15 -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., announced today that the world premiere of its all-new full-size pickup will take place at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis on "Toyota Day," Friday, August 14. "The Made-in-Indiana press conference will take the wraps off Toyota's new V8-powered truck, which is scheduled to arrive in dealerships in late May of next year," said Don Esmond, TMS group vice president and general manager, Toyota Division. "The truck was specifically developed to compete in the domestic full-size pickup segment. It will offer a four-door extended cab model and will feature a higher-output version of the 4.7-liter DOHC V8 engine which powers the all-new, recently introduced Land Cruiser." The new truck will be built exclusively at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (TMMI), an all-new $1.2-billion facility located in Gibson County, near Princeton. Initially designed to produce 100,000 pickup trucks a year, the plant recently announced plans to expand the facility to accommodate a second vehicle. When completed, the two-million-square-foot facility will employ 2,300 team members producing 150,000 units per year. TMMI is Toyota's second production facility in the state of Indiana; the first being the Toyota Industrial Equipment Manufacturing (TIEM) facility in Columbus, which builds Toyota forklifts. The press conference will kick-off Toyota's major sponsorship of the Indiana State Fair, in celebration of the company's significant commitment in the state of Indiana. Toyota will sponsor a wide variety of events and displays during the fair's 12-day run from August 12-23, including the Livestock Nursery and Schwinn Bicycle Show, with special emphasis on the fair's "Made in Indiana" pavilion which showcases products made in the Hoosier State. The press conference will include the unveiling of product-correct prototypes, a technical briefing on preliminary product information and the announcement of the truck's name. The truck will be placed on public display immediately following the press conference and will remain on display until the conclusion of the fair.