Toyota plans to open several new product quality field offices, including one in Denver to study high-altitude performance and SUV models.
The new facilities are to be staffed by technical and engineering specialists. A San Francisco office is to open this month; that office will focus on hybrid vehicle systems and durability.
Other offices will open later. They include a Denver facility as well as offices in Jacksonville, Fla., to focus on heating, ventilation and air conditioning; Houston, to focus on trucks and chassis components; and eventually, offices in Toronto and Calgary, Canada, to focus on extreme seasonal temperature changes and high road salt usage.