Torrance, CA, January 23, 2010 – Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced the continued expansion of its Product Quality Field Office (PQFO) program with the opening of new offices in Houston, Texas and Jacksonville, Florida.  The launch represents the latest milestone in Toyota’s ongoing efforts to broaden its field technical presence and enhance its ability to detect, analyze and respond to customer and quality issues in the field.

 

“These offices were opened as part of Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda’s six-point action plan to improve global quality and improve communication flow throughout the company,” said Gary E. Smith, Toyota Motor Sales’ quality assurance and technical support corporate manager. “They not only provide a direct link between the customer and Toyota’s design, quality, and manufacturing organizations, but also enable Toyota to respond to customer issues quickly and effectively.” 

 

The new facilities announced today represent the third and fourth PQFO in the U.S., with the first two offices located in New York and San Francisco. A fifth office is scheduled to open in Denver, Colorado by the end of the first quarter of this year. 

 

Each PQFO in the United States is staffed with three to five Toyota engineers.  Each office has a dedicated area of research for Toyota, Lexus, and Scion vehicles:
 

• The new office in Jacksonville will focus its research on heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and vehicle drivability.  

• The Houston office, which opened last week, will research trucks, and chassis components.

• Initially opened in 2009 as part of a pilot program, the New York office researches cold weather vehicle performance with special attention on corrosion due to high road salt usage in the region.

• With a high concentration of hybrid vehicles in the California area, the San Francisco office studies hybrid and alternative fuel vehicle systems.

• The Denver office will look at SUVs and high altitude vehicle performance.

In addition to dedicated research, the proximity to customers and dealers within their geographic region will enhance each office’s ability to quickly identify customer concerns.