Toyota Motor Corporation announced today that Toyota FAW (Tianjin) Dies CO., LTD. (TFTD), its stamping die-production joint venture with China FAW Group Corporation (FAW) in China, can now produce automotive stamping dies (such as for automobile body panels) for six vehicle models a year, up from three. In addition to production for the Chinese market, TMC also said TFTD has started production for export, initiating the first ever export of Toyota automotive stamping dies made outside Japan.

A ceremony to mark the production capacity increase and start of export production was held today in Tianjin, China and was attended by Chairman Li Yong of the Tianjin Economic-Technological Development Area (TEDA) Administrative Commission and numerous other guests from the Tianjin government. TFTD was represented by President Taminori Yanagisawa, FAW by Vice President Qin Huanming and TMC by Executive Vice President Akio Toyoda and Managing Officer Nobuyoshi Hisada.

TFTD was established in March 2004 as Toyota's first large stamping die manufacturer in China and began production in December of the same year. Since then, it has supplied dies to Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor Co., Ltd. and Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile Co., Ltd. From now on, TFTD will serve as a global production base supplying dies also to Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd. and Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey Inc.