The Japan-based automaker fell from the top spot in 2008 to fourth place in 2009 after cutting R&D spending to $7.8 billion, an almost 20 percent drop. Overall, the auto industry accounted for $18 billion in R&D spending decreases, a full two-thirds of the total for all the 1,000 companies in the survey. Divisions of Toyota’s R&D headquarters, Toyota Technical Center (TTC), have been “pursuing Sustainable Mobility, which addresses four key priorities: advanced technologies, urban environment, energy, and partnerships with government and academia.” The company has announced plans to spend $100 million in the next four years on this kind of advanced research at the TTC Ann Arbor, Mich. campus.
Greg Baker/Pool/AP
