Toyota Motor Corporation and Yanmar Co., Ltd. have reached a wide-ranging agreement to collaborate on technical development, production, and mutual parts use in the nautical industry.

Toyota currently manufactures and sells aluminium-hulled pleasure crafts equipped with automotive engines, and is firmly establishing itself in the marine business with a line-up of products that offer excellent seaworthiness and quiet operation.

Yanmar is an industrial device manufacturer that has specialized in industrial diesel engines. The company also manufactures marine engines, as well as fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) fishing boats and industrial vessels.

Although aluminium hulls offer high rigidity, they require advanced machining technology to manufacture, and can only be produced in limited quantities. To resolve these challenges, Toyota has been working for the past two years on the development of next generation hulls that allow for production in larger quantities by using a combination of FRP, carbon, and aluminium to either equal or surpass the rigidity of aluminium hulls.

(Continued on the next page)