Toyota Canada’s cross-country 60th anniversary tour made a stop at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) plant in Cambridge today. Toyota executives attending the visit recognized the important role TMMC has played in Toyota’s Canadian history, and celebrated the 11-millionth vehicle they’ve produced in Canada.

Toyota is celebrating its 60th anniversary (“kanreki”) in Canada this year, and they’re kicking it off with a coast-to-coast road trip. The 9,000km drive is making stops in every province to highlight some of the key people, locations and stories from throughout the company’s six decades in Canada.

Recognizing the many Canadians who have contributed to the company’s success

“In Japanese culture, a person’s 60th birthday is known as ‘Kanreki’ and represents a ‘rebirth’—an opportunity to reflect on one’s life, take stock of the present, and prepare for the future,” said Stephen Beatty, Corporate Secretary at Toyota Canada. “As Toyota marks its 60th year in Canada, our cross-Canada road trip is doing just that, while also taking time to recognize the many Canadians who have contributed to the company’s success—including the thousands of Team Members who’ve contributed to TMMC’s success over more than three decades.”

Toyota Canada’s Kanreki Tour started at Canada’s Eastern “Mile 0” in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and will end on August 30 at Canada’s Western “Mile 0” in Victoria, British Columbia.

Throughout the journey, the participants have been driving vehicles from across the full line-up of products Toyota offers Canadian drivers. Today, the 11-millionth vehicle produced by TMMC joined the cross-Canada drive.

The vehicle – a white Woodland Edition Toyota RAV4 Hybrid – represents yet another significant milestone in Canada’s automotive industry.

“We’re proud that Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada has played such an important role in the company’s success for almost 36 years,” said Frank Voss, President of TMMC. “In 1988, the year that we opened our first plant in Cambridge, our team members built just 153 Toyota Corollas. Today, we’re Canada’s largest automaker, building over a half million Toyota and Lexus vehicles every year for the North American market. We’re so proud to be celebrating this 11 millionth vehicle milestone.”

Since 1988, TMMC has also grown to become one of Southwestern Ontario’s most important employers, with two production lines in Cambridge and a third line in Woodstock that, together, employ more than 8,500 people.