Toyota has selected Bilbao as the location for its Creative Lounge (Toyota Creative Lounge Bilbao) where it will develop activities connected with the future of its vehicles: new tendencies and concepts linked to this means of transport.

This choice for the location of its Creative Lounge was the result of the assessment of Bizkaia's strategic situation and metropolitan area, its innovative management, the creative nature of its people and its automotive industry, which is developing a new business model, such as the AIC automotive centre.

Consequently, the Creative Lounge will work in co-ordination with Bilbao Metropoli-30 and with the AIC to seek new tendencies that will enable Toyota to identify future aspects in the automotive industry in different disciplines.

The Creative Lounge was founded in 2007 by Tetsuya Kaida, General Manager of the BR Corporate Value Creation Department. To date it has generated a wide range of prototypes covering different fields.

TOYOTA is the leading world car manufacturer, producing almost 9.5 million vehicles in 2008. Its investment in R&D totalled 7,610 million Euro.

Bilbao Metropoli-30 is a non-profit association comprising public institutions and private enterprises for the promotion and study of ideas aimed at promoting the knowledge and image of Bizkaia and its metropolis. It has a regional and international dimension, aimed at encouraging co-operation between the private and public sectors to seek joint solutions to problems affecting the city of Bilbao.

AIC is a foundation sponsored by the Provincial Council of Vizcaya, the Town Councils of  Amorebieta-Etxano and Ermua and a group of leading automotive companies. AIC is managed by ACICAE- the Basque Automotive Cluster. It is structured in such a way as to include industrial, technological and training activities that will lead to improvements in competitiveness in the automotive sector through knowledge, research and co-operation between companies.

For further information, please contact: basquenews@spri.es

Source: ACICAE