May Help Fund MRJ Project

Japan's Toyota Motor Company may be interested in entering the commercial aviation market, following in the steps of rivals Honda and Mitsubishi. But if that happens, the company will take a decidedly cautious approach.

According to Breitbart, a spokeswoman for the Japanese automaker and engineering giant hinted Wednesday the company might help fund Mitsubishi's efforts to bring a new regional jet to market.

As ANN reported, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced in October 2007 it would launch its version of a twin engined RJ called the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ,) to compete with established offerings from Bombardier and Embraer. The company has already selected Pratt & Whitney to supply its upcoming geared turbofan powerplant for the aircraft, and Rockwell Collins for its avionics.

On Wednesday, Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily reported Toyota plans to invest 10 billion yen -- about $97 million US -- in a joint-venture to develop the MRJ, to be implemented by Mitsubishi in April.

"Mitsubishi Heavy has invited us to invest (in the venture) and we are considering it," said Toyota spokeswoman Kayo Doi. Nothing has been decided yet, she added.

If the rumored agreement comes to fruition, it would mark the third time Toyota has expressed interest in entering the aerospace market. In the early 1990s, the company experimented with an aviation-tuned version of the 4.0-liter V-8 engine from its Lexus luxury automobile division. Toyota nixed the idea, though, realizing there was more money to be made in putting those engines in LS400s and SC400s.

About seven years ago, Toyota made a lot of noise on the general aviation scene about bringing a new, composite-bodied, four-place, single-engine aircraft to market. The company contracted with Burt Rutan's Scaled Composites to assemble a demonstration aircraft, dubbed the TAA-1 (shown above), which first flew in May 2002.

Little became of the program, however, following that first flight. 

FMI: www.toyota.com, www.mrj-japan.com