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Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. will start making its
top-selling sedan here this year.
Toyota Vios, which is being
imported from Thailand, is expected to pump up sales with the
company allotting P1 billion for its production here.
Atty. Rommel R. Gutierrez, TMPC
vice president for corporate planning, said the money will be spent
for the re-tooling of the company’s production line in Sta. Rosa,
Laguna, to accommodate the Vios.
Gutierrez said Philippine parts
makers will also benefit from the project as Toyota wants the local
content of Vios to go beyond the 40-percent requirement.
Local production is to start in
August, and from then on Toyota expects to sell 1,200 units per
month from the present 800, at lower than the current unit price.
The company’s decision to
produce the model locally was also influenced by the lower tariffs
imposed on completely knocked down units. Moreover, local production
will allow the company to maximize its 50,000-unit per year plant
capacity.
--Katrina Mennen A. Valdez
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