Exide lands battery supply contract for Toyota trucks

Exide Technologies, a global leader in stored electrical-energy solutions, on March 19 announced a new supply agreement with Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America. Exide has begun shipping lead-acid starting batteries for the next generation of Toyota Tundra trucks assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc. (TMMTX) in San Antonio, the automotive manufacturer’s $1.28 billion assembly facility which began operations in November 2006.

According to the terms of the supply contract, Exide will provide TMMTX group 24 and 27 starting batteries — with an annual capacity of 200,000 units — for the Texas-produced Tundra truck. The batteries are manufactured at Exide’s Bristol, Tenn., facility and shipped from Exide’s San Antonio branch location.

“To be selected by Toyota as the exclusive battery supplier to TMMTX to help power the next generation of one of the world's best-selling vehicles is testament to the marketplace’s confidence in our product quality, customer service and unsurpassed commitment to helping our business partners succeed, " said E.J. O’Leary, president of the Transportation-Americas business division for Exide Technologies. “Equally important, the expansion of our supply agreement with Toyota demonstrates that this very important customer recognizes and highly values the strength of Exide’s branch network.”

Exide currently supplies Toyota with batteries for its North American-produced Camry and Avalon cars, Tundra trucks and Sequoia sport-utility vehicles. The new supply agreement continues a long-standing, successful relationship between Exide Technologies and Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America that began in 1988.