The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) today is announcing its newest member, Toyota, which manufactures a diverse line-up of vehicles the world over. As an innovation leader, Toyota is well-known for its management philosophy and for developing the world’s first mass-market hybrids. Globally, Toyota spends $1 million per hour on research and development activities that range from basic research to the development of forward-looking technologies and products.

We are excited to welcome Toyota, a company that fits well with the existing, iconic and innovative brands that make up ITI’s membership,” said ITI President and CEO Dean Garfield. “We look forward to advocating on behalf of Toyota as it continues to bring its life-changing advancements to the world’s consumers.”

"The technological transformation of the automobile is underway, fueled by computerization, automation, and connectivity,” said Toyota Group Vice President of Government Affairs Stephen Ciccone. “Toyota is thrilled to join with the other leading companies of the Information Technology Industry Council to work for policies that spur innovation and unleash the power of technology to save lives, protect the environment and better society."

The ITI Board recently voted to expand the organization’s defined membership criteria to include companies, like Toyota, that are at the forefront of researching, developing, and substantially integrating the use of ICT to enable innovative products and services.  ITI’s existing membership criteria focuses on companies that develop, produce, and deliver information and communications technology (ICT) products and services.

“Our desire to expand to include a new category of companies is driven by our commitment to evolve and embrace the future,” said Garfield. “Toyota is the first company to announce it’s joining ITI in this subtle shift, but it won’t be the last.”

The addition of Toyota brings ITI’s membership to 57 companies.

About ITI

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies.  ITI navigates the relationships between policymakers, companies, and non-governmental organizations, providing creative solutions that advance the development and use of technology around the world. Visit www.itic.org to learn more. Follow us on Twitter for the latest ITI news and other alerts: @ITI_TechTweets

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM), the world's top automaker and creator of the Prius, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands.  Over the past 50 years, Toyota has built more than 25 million cars and trucks in North America, where they operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 40,000 people (more than 32,000 in the U.S.).  Toyota’s 1,800 North American dealerships (1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.5 million cars and trucks (more than 2.2 million in the U.S.) in 2013 – and about 80 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 20 years are still on the road today.