Toyota Motor has held a ground-breaking ceremony in China's Jiangsu Province at a new research and development center for low emission vehicle technology. It will be Toyota's first non-jointly run R&D center in China. The ceremony was held in Changshu City on Saturday.
Toyota President Akio Toyoda told the attendees that the company hopes to begin selling more China-made eco-friendly vehicles by 2015. He said the center will develop batteries, motors and other core parts for hybrid vehicles. He also said 2 joint-venture companies will produce and sell hybrid cars using parts developed in the center.
Toyota said the new facility will become a base to make parts for vehicles tailored to the needs of Chinese consumers. Toyota's move comes as the Chinese government is hoping to increase the number of fuel-efficient vehicles in the country. Toyota earlier announced that it plans to sell Japan-made plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles in China, with the goal of eventually producing the vehicles locally.
The center will open by 2013 and will have test courses including a 5-kilometer circuit. It will employ about 1,000 people.