Toyota Donates 2009 Corolla to University of Windsor

(TORONTO) – Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) today presented the University of Windsor with the keys to a very special vehicle – a 2009 Toyota Corolla.

“The Corolla is the hallmark vehicle of both our sales and manufacturing organizations here in Canada. I’m pleased to donate a 2009 Corolla to the University of Windsor, in the heart of Canada’s automotive industry, and home of one of the foremost Automotive Engineering programs in the country,” explained Stephen Beatty, Managing Director of TCI. “The all-new 2009 Corolla is the product of many years of engineering learning for Toyota, and we are pleased to be able to share that learning with the faculty and students of the University.”

In a ceremony at the Centre for Automotive Research and Education (C.A.R.E.) this morning, the University received the keys to a silver 2009 Corolla CE with a four-speed automatic transmission. The ceremony was attended by: Dr. Ross Paul, President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Windsor; Dr. Graham T. Reader, Dean of Engineering, University of Windsor; Dr. Peter Frise, Executive Director, Automotive Research and Studies, University of Windsor; Stephen Beatty, Managing Director, TCI; Soichiro Okudaira, Executive Chief Engineer, Corolla and Matrix, Toyota Motor Corp.; and Shinichi Yasui, Chief Engineer, Corolla, Toyota Motor Corp. and Terry Rafih, Chairman and CEO, Rafih Automotive Group.

“On behalf of the University of Windsor, we are pleased to accept the donation of this 2009 Corolla,” said Dr. Peter Frise, Executive Director of Automotive Research and Studies at the University of Windsor. “Having these vehicles available for study allows for invaluable hands-on learning for both students and faculty members in the home of Canada’s first university program in Automotive Engineering. We would like to thank Toyota Canada Inc. for their generous donation, and look forward to a continuing relationship with them.”

The all-new 2009 Corolla represents 40 years of engineering excellence at Toyota, and is the 10^th generation of one of the most successful models in the company’s history. First introduced in Canada in 1967, the Corolla has been built at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada Inc. facilities in Cambridge, Ontario for 20 years.

For 2009, the all-new Toyota Corolla is more powerful, more fun to drive, better equipped, and roomier than ever. It retains all the convenience and value of a compact car, but also delivers many of the qualities one only expects to find in a mid-size vehicle. These include: electric power steering, a tilt/telescoping steering column, dual power remote foldable exterior mirrors, six air bags, Toyota’s Anti-lock Braking System with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake-force Distribution, and Toyota’s Active Headrest technology.

The all-new, 2009 Toyota Corolla goes on sale in Canada in February, 2008.