- Alphard/Vellfire ASV(2)+++ (the highest rank) in preventive safety performance - RAV4 ASV(2)+++ in preventive safety performance, five stars (the highest rank) in collision safety performance - Raize five stars in collision safety performance

Alphard/Vellfire received the Grand Prix Award in preventive safety performance by gaining the highest score in the assessment for two years in a row following last year.JNCAP revises its testing methods and assessment standards meticulously, every year, taking into account actual traffic accidents that have occurred in Japan and the necessity of establishing countermeasures.

As for the preventive safety performance evaluation, JNCAP added the autonomous emergency braking system that detects pedestrians under streetlamps at night in the list of items for assessment in FY2018, in consideration of the fact that, in Japan, pedestrian fatalities from road accidents frequently occur at night. Also in its FY 2019 assessment, the autonomous emergency braking system for pedestrians at night without lighting was added in the list of evaluation items. The Alphard/Vellfire and RAV4 equipped with the latest Toyota Safety Sense--a pre-collision safety system that detects pedestrians at night--received the highest rank of ASV+++ in JNCAP's assessment of preventive safety performance.

JNCAP has also revised its collision safety performance evaluation criteria that better reflects the conditions of an aging population, and adopted new crash test dummies that more accurately represent the human body. Against this backdrop, RAV4 and Raize, equipped with the latest collision safety body and occupant restraint system, received five stars, the top ranking in the collision safety performance evaluation.

Though traffic accident fatalities and casualties have been decreasing year by year, tragic accidents continue to occur. Under the wish for the ultimate goal of zero traffic fatalities, Toyota is developing vehicles in consideration of various perspectives, such as advancing and expanding the use of a preventive safety package called Toyota Safety Sense, utilizing connected technology, and developing automated driving, to do our utmost in reducing as many traffic accidents as possible.

With the development of safer cars using a three-pillar approach, Toyota continues to promote educational activities for people, including holding awareness-raising activities at Toyota dealers that introduce customers to "Sapo-Toyo" (vehicles that support a safe and comfortable life with cars), and promoting maintenance of the traffic environment in an effort to provide customers with a safe and secure mobility society.

(1) Japan New Car Assessment Program: vehicle safety information provided by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and the National Agency for Automotive Safety and Victims' Aid since fiscal year 1995. The information comprises results of safety evaluations for domestically available vehicles based on tests including preventive safety performance tests, collision safety performance tests, and pedestrian protection performance tests.(2) ASV Advanced Safety Vehicle

About Toyota Motor Corporation

Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) is the global mobility company that introduced the Prius hybrid-electric car in 1997 and the first mass-produced fuel cell sedan, Mirai, in 2014. Headquartered in Toyota City, Japan, Toyota has been making cars since 1937. Today, Toyota proudly employs 370,000 employees in communities around the world. Together, they build around 10 million vehicles per year in 29 countries, from mainstream cars and premium vehicles to mini-vehicles and commercial trucks, and sell them in more than 170 countries under the brands Toyota, Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino. For more information, please visit www.toyota-global.com.

Copyright 2020 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com