Toyota Targets More Europe-Specific Vehicles

Toyota Motor Corp. says it is preparing to open a second styling center in Europe and expand its product development center in Belgium in a bid to develop future vehicles that better align with European tastes.

Europe CEO Johan van Zyl tells Automotive News Europe the company will be able to channel more funds into Euro-centric styling because future models will use the lower-cost Toyota New Global Architecture. The TNGA platform enables global vehicles to be tailored more inexpensively to local markets.

Toyota’s first such European-design vehicle to use on the TNGA platform will be the C-HR small crossover due this autumn. The chassis debuted in the fourth-generation Prius hybrid sedan that went on sale last year.

Toyota’s current product development facilities in Europe comprise its 487-member r&d center in Zaventem, Belgium, and a 40-member design office in Nice, France.