TORRANCE, Calif., Sept. 26, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Toyota Financial Services (TFS) is hosting the U.S. segment of the worldwide Toyota Dream Car Art Contest, which is designed to inspire creativity in youth and encourage an interest in the automotive industry. Across the nation, youth, ages 4-15, are invited to create and submit a drawing of their idea of a "Dream Car" during October 1 through December 14, 2013. Full contest details, along with official entry forms and questionnaires, are available online at http://www.TFSintheCommunity.com .
In the spring of 2014, nine U.S. winners will be selected to receive an iPad Mini plus an award certificate. Once awarded and accepted, their artwork will be submitted, along with entries from over 70 countries, for consideration in the World Contest. The selected winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan to participate in an awards ceremony in August 2014.
All Toyota divisions and affiliates are encouraging young people across the country to participate. "We always look for ways to inspire innovation and to enrich the lives of youth," said Mike Groff, incoming President & CEO of Toyota Financial Services. "Art is an integral part of many of our youth-oriented service programs. Often, when volunteering or mentoring, our associates engage with the kids through art projects as a way to help establish a rapport and build friendships."
History
Last year, more than 611,000 entries from 70 countries were submitted to the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest worldwide. Of these, over 600 entries (each country submitted a total of nine National Contest winners – three per age category) were submitted to Japan for consideration in the World Contest. Last year's winners can be found through the links below:
Under 10 Years: top winner was from Thailand
http://www.toyota-global.com/events/dream_car...lobal.html
10-12 Years: top winner was from Malaysia
http://www.toyota-global.com/events/dream_car...12yrs.html
13-15 Years: top winner was from Romania
http://www.toyota-global.com/events/dream_car...15yrs.html
The first international contest was held in 2004 by Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan with the dual goals of inspiring children to understand the importance of having a dream while, at the same time, encouraging them to become interested in cars by designing "Dream Cars" of their imagination. This is the third year that the U.S. has held its National Contest.
About Toyota Financial Services
TFS is the finance and insurance brand for Toyota in the United States, offering retail auto financing and leasing through Toyota Motor Credit Corporation (TMCC) and Toyota Lease Trust, and extended service contracts through Toyota Motor Insurance Services (TMIS). Lexus Financial Services is the brand for financial products for Lexus dealers and customers. TFS currently employs approximately 3,300 associates nationwide, and has assets totaling over $95.3 billion. It is part of a worldwide network of comprehensive financial services offered by Toyota Financial Services Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation. We announce material financial information using the investor relations section of our website ( www.toyotafinancial.com ) and SEC filings. We use these channels, press releases, and social media to communicate about our company, our services and other issues. While not all information we post on social media is of a material nature, some information could be material. Therefore, we encourage those interested in our company to review our posts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/toyotafinancial . For more information, please visit www.toyotafinancial.com .
A photo accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=21230
Justin Leach - (310) 468-5332
