UWindsor Annual Report 2007/2008

As a leading-edge automotive engineering faculty, UWindsor Engineering has to keep abreast of current technology. For that reason, the University enthusiastically welcomed Toyota Canada Inc.’s donation of a Corolla and a Matrix.

"I'm pleased to donate a 2009 Corolla to the University of Windsor, in the heart of Canada's automotive industry, and home of one of the foremost automotive engineering programs in the country," said Stephen Beatty, managing director of Toyota Canada "The Corolla is the product of many years of engineering learning for Toyota, and we are pleased to be able to share that learning with the faculty and students of the University."

"The University of Windsor is really the intellectual centre of the Canadian automotive industry,” Beatty added.

The 2009 model was the 10th generation of the Corolla nameplate – the best-selling car in the world over its 40-year history. Beatty said the company's engineers suggested donating a new Matrix crossover utility vehicle, as well, and surprised school officials by announcing the gift of the second car.

In addition to the vehicles, Toyota is donating related materials – everything from recorded discussions with the company's top engineers to marketing strategies. Peter Frise, UWindsor's executive director of Automotive Research and Studies, said the gift will form a "fantastic learning tool."

"This vehicle is representative of the state-of-the-art in car design and manufacturing. The materials which Toyota is providing us, combined with the cars themselves, will enable our students to get a real insider's look from the executive engineer’s perspective," he said.

Dr. Frise said the students would gain valuable knowledge and experience from working with the cars.

"This is not just paper and textbooks, but actual hands-on experience," he said. "They will test it out – handling tests, emissions tests, they will study the design and manufacturing – all the things that engineers do to create new products."

Second-year engineering student Tim Wong said he is looking forward to some experiential learning.

"Seeing what goes on in real-world use is one of the biggest things," he said. "I certainly hope that we can disassemble the cars to learn more about them."