PLANO, Texas (April 2, 2018) – Toyota owners have long relied on Yakima to carry their favorite outdoor gear. Thanks to a new partnership announced today, Toyota customers now can purchase Yakima's vehicle racks, bike, ski and boat mounts, cargo boxes, and other cargo management accessories directly from participating Toyota dealers nationwide.

'Toyota customers have long been adventurous with active lifestyles, which makes them the perfect fit for Yakima products,' said Paul Holdridge, vice president of guest experience and retention for Toyota. 'This partnership expands the locations our customers can purchase and install Yakima products, while providing them the opportunity to further personalize their vehicle purchase within our dealerships.'

In addition to giving consumers the opportunity for easy, one-stop shopping for a full range of Yakima products when they purchase their Toyota vehicle, they can also wrap their Yakima purchase into the new vehicle financing.

According to SEMA, nine out of 10 consumers purchase accessories for their vehicles; with six out of 10 spending at least $1,500 on accessories. Additionally, the majority will buy accessories within the first 90 days of purchasing their vehicle and most would prefer to buy accessories at the dealership—yet fewer than five percent do, due to lack of availability. This new, integrated sales experience enables both Toyota and Yakima to meet that consumer need.

'Yakima and Toyota have been great partners since 2016, and we're thrilled to elevate that relationship with our new accessories partnership,' said Ryan Martin, CEO of Yakima. 'At Yakima, we believe in connecting people, their friends, family and all their favorite gear to their desired destination or activity. Integrating Yakima products into the Toyota purchasing process is a natural step, making it simpler than ever for people to maximize their lifestyle with their Toyota.'

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in the U.S. and North America for 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands. During that time, Toyota has created a tremendous value chain as our teams have contributed to world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 36 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 47,000 people (more than 37,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold more than 2.7 million cars and trucks (2.4 million in the U.S.) in 2017 – and about 87 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.

Toyota partners with community, civic, academic, and governmental organizations to address our society's most pressing mobility challenges. We share company resources and extensive know-how to support non-profits to help expand their ability to assist more people move more places. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About Yakima

Yakima Products, Inc. is a world leader in vehicle racks and cargo solutions for a variety of consumers, from outdoor enthusiasts to car aficionados. Yakima offers a variety of cargo management products, including racks for bikes, boats, ski equipment and other gear, cargo boxes and baskets, roof-top tents and awnings, and high performance multi-sport trailers. Yakima Products, Inc. is headquartered outside of Portland, Oregon. For more information, visit www.yakima.com.

Photo credit: Toyota
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