Toyota Announces Prices for IMS Sienna Rampvan - First Wheelchair Accessible Toyota Vehicle in the U.S.

TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 8 -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices (MSRP) for the IMS Sienna Rampvan, the first wheelchair-accessible Toyota vehicle available in the U.S. Toyota entered into an exclusive agreement with Independent Mobility Systems, Inc. (IMS) of Farmington, N.M., to produce the Sienna Rampvan. The first delivery of an IMS Sienna Rampvan was made at Advanced Mobility in Van Nuys, Calif.

Retail conversions are initially offered through IMS dealers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago and Indianapolis. Availability will then be expanded to the rest of the country over the following 12 months, as Toyota and IMS production volumes grow. The gradual rollout will help ensure that the Sienna Rampvan is the highest quality conversion in the market. IMS expects to sell 700 Sienna conversions during the first year, in what is a 6,000-unit-per-year market.

The all-new, second-generation 2004 Sienna minivan is an appropriate choice as Toyota's first mobility vehicle offering, with its class-leading interior comfort, convenience, and flexibility. The IMS Sienna Rampvan provides the same quality, reliability and dependability consumers have come to expect from all our products.

IMS offers two versions of the IMS Sienna Rampvan. The Infloor model includes a right-side entry ramp with a 10-inch lowered floor. The lowered floor decreases the ramp angle, allows deployment onto curbs with ease, makes the vehicle easier to enter and exit and increases interior headroom. The 30-inch-wide ramp platform with a full one-inch lip on either side deploys from a pocket under the floor and drops to the ground at the end of its extension. Full ramp extension requires only five seconds after the side power sliding door is fully open. In case of power failure, the conversion also incorporates a simple manual ramp deployment system.

The Sienna Rampvan Foldout offers a ramp that folds out of the right side sliding door opening and features an 11-inch lowered floor, for one more inch of headroom, which can be critical for some customers. This vehicle provides a door opening height of just over 54 inches and also features a unique anti-rattle device recently developed by IMS. Like the Infloor Rampvan, there is also a simple manual device in case of power failure.

Both Rampvan models feature generous ground clearance and the Infloor ramp is encased in a weatherproof enclosure for trouble-free operation. A convenience feature is a special key chain that, when held up to a switch hidden in the rear taillight of the minivan automatically opens the door and deploys the ramp. The Sienna Rampvan has front seating that can be switched from the driver's side to the passenger location. This enables a wheelchair user to move between driving and riding positions.

Other standard equipment includes multiple wheelchair tie-down points, emergency door-ramp release, anti-skid ramp coating, removable driver's seat, power right side and rear doors, and power ramp with three conveniently located control switches. IMS' exclusive bump-and-reverse design allows the ramp or door to retract if either path is obstructed.

The IMS Sienna Rampvan will raise the bar for existing minivan conversions. Currently, Toyota has one of the tallest door openings, generous ground clearance, and substantial headroom in the center of the minivan and the widest floor, both in the driver's seating position and at the "B" pillar. It also achieves a carrying capacity of 1,463 lbs. with the standard conversion that includes one-quick-release front seat, as no weight was added as a result of the conversion. The IMS Sienna Rampvan also has fuel capacity of 20 gallons and provides a quiet ride, as the OEM fuel tank and muffler were both reused and relocated. Competitive minivan conversions require the substitution of smaller mufflers and special, fabricated fuel tanks to fit in the available space. The IMS Sienna Rampvan retains the ride quality of an unmodified Sienna as no front suspension adjustments were made. Although the rear suspension is lowered approximately 2.5 inches to provide adequate ground clearance, the original suspension geometry was unchanged.

Two years ago, Toyota announced the new Mobility Assistance initiative to reach out to the expanding base of potential customers among the 54 million Americans with disabilities. Toyota provides cash reimbursement of up to $1,000 to eligible, original retail customers, for the cost they paid to purchase and install qualifying adaptive driving or passenger equipment for transporting persons with physical disabilities. The offer applies to all purchased or leased new 2001 and later Toyota or Lexus vehicles, and vehicles must be adapted within 12 months of delivery date.

The launch of the Mobility Assistance Program also resulted in a comprehensive resource information Web site at http://www.toyota.com/mobility, where consumers can locate rehabilitation specialists, driving instructors for persons with disabilities, and mobility equipment dealers who sell and install the equipment as well as provide user training.

Finally, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) mobility financing offers extended terms of up to 96 months for both the vehicle and the adaptive equipment. Since the launch of the Mobility Assistance Program, Toyota and Lexus dealers have sold or leased almost 2,000 new vehicles to customers with mobility needs.

The IMS Sienna Rampvan is competitively priced and starts with a base MSRP of $24,410 for an LE grade, eight-passenger model. An Assistance Package includes options that are of special value to a person with disabilities, including heavy duty suspension, power right passenger sliding door and power back door, eight-way power driver's seat, 16-inch alloy wheels, trip computer with HomeLink(R) and rear seat audio. This package is priced at $2,025. The IMS Infloor base conversion lists at $14,640, the Foldout base conversion lists at $14,230, with another $830 for the popular, optional Kneel System. Combined Toyota and IMS freight equals $785, for a final MSRP of $42,690 for the Infloor model and $42,280 for the Foldout model.

IMS' selling mobility equipment dealers could possibly add another $1,000 to $4,000 worth of hand controls, wheelchair docking devices or other adaptive equipment depending on the specific needs of the customer. The cash reimbursement of up to $1,000 from Toyota Mobility is available to all IMS Sienna Rampvan customers.

                    IMS SIENNA RAMPVAN SPECIFICATIONS

                                        Infloor (inches)  Foldout (inches)
   Overall vehicle height               68.875            68.875
   Overall vehicle length               200.0             200.0
   Overall vehicle width                77.375            77.375
   Door opening height                  54.0              54.25
   Door opening width                   31.375            31.375
   Interior height (center of van)      58.25             59.25
   Interior height (driver's position)  56.75             57.75
   Ground clearance                     5.75              6.25
   Floor length behind front seats      56.125            56.125
   Overall lowered floor length         84.0              84.0
   Floor width at driver's position     64.0              64.0
   Ramp length                          52.5              53.0
   Ramp width                           30.0              29.75
   Ramp angle (when kneeled)            10.0 degrees      8.5 degrees