Toyota hands over small-car development to its European unit

Toyota Motor Corp.'s European division next month will take charge of global product planning for small cars as the Japanese automaker expands model research and development in the region.

The change, announced Dec. 17, means that Toyota will count on Europe to develop future products in the minicar, subcompact and compact segments, something that Ford Motor Co. and Fiat-Chrysler also do.

"It is essential to bring focus to this mission and the product planning division will play a key role in this integrated strategy, together with our engineers and designers," Toyota Motor Europe CEO Didier Leroy said in a statement.

By Luca Ciferri- Automotive News