Toyota to keep 2003 World Cup on the road.

Toyota South Africa, the local industry leader since 1980, will provide the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003 with 144 new vehicles for use during cricket's premier global tournament that opens at Newlands, in Cape Town, on February 8.

Toyota is providing CWC 2003 Organising Committee with a selection of vehicles to meet the requirements of the organisers of the biggest international sporting event ever staged on the African continent. The sponsored vehicles consist of 51 RunX hatchbacks, 22 Corollas, 20 Camrys and 51 Condors.

The vehicles will be based at the various cricket unions in South Africa where matches are staged and will be used by the various teams, organisers and official such as umpires. All the vehicles are silver and have eye-catching decals proclaiming Toyota's support for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003. Three of the vehicles are already being used as part of the "Dazzler" road show that is going around the country promoting the ICC CWC 2003.

Toyota has been the official vehicle supplier of the United Cricket Board of South Africa for the past five years and was the vehicle sponsor at the 1995 Rugby World Cup.

"We are delighted to be an integral part of the Cricket World Cup, which promises to be a major source of interest for all South Africa for 44 days, in which 54 matches will be played", commented Dr Johan van Zyl, President and CEO of Toyota South Africa.

"We identified cricket as a sport that interests all sectors of the South African population and one that is showing encouraging growth with many successful development programmes. It is therefore a natural for Toyota to get involved as the vehicle sponsor when the World Cup came to South Africa. South Africa came out top when Toyota was the vehicle sponsor at the Rugby World cup and we are hoping our cricketers can do the same at the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003".

Dr Ali Bacher, Executive Director of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003, said the ICC and the UCBSA were extremely grateful for Toyota's ongoing support. "South African cricket has had a long-standing relationship, built on honesty and trust, with Toyota South Africa and we see this great cricket tournament as being the culmination of all the good things that have flowed from this association. The beautifully branded Toyota vehicles will be a distinctive element in creating further awareness of an ICC Cricket World Cup that is of vital importance to our country and to international cricket".

The marketing relationship between Toyota and the UCBSA is to be continued at the completion of the World Cup.