Toyota aids US in probe into why its pickups and SUVs are Islamic State's vehicles of choice
Toyota Motor said on Wednesday it is cooperating with the US government’s investigation into how the Islamic State is obtaining the Japanese automaker’s trucks and sports utility vehicles.
“We are supporting the US Treasury Department’s broader inquiry into international supply chains and the flow of capital and goods in the Middle East,” Toyota spokesperson Amanda Rice said.
Toyota’s Hilux pickups and Land Cruiser SUVs are often seen in the terrorist group’s propaganda videos, which prompted US counterterrorism officials to open a probe about how the vehicles were obtained, US news broadcaster ABC News reported on Wednesday.
The videos show the terrorists driving a combination of older and newer models and the US believes the Islamic State has recently obtained “hundreds of brand new” Toyota vehicles, ABC News said.
The company’s sales operations in Syria ceased in 2012 and regional Toyota distributors do not know how the Islamic State acquired the vehicles, according to the network.
Vehicles from other automakers have been featured in the videos, such as those from Hyundai Motor and Isuzu Motors, the report said, but the Toyota models have become “fixtures” for the Islamic State.
When the Islamic State paraded through the northern Syrian city of Raqqa, more than two-thirds of the vehicles in the convoy appeared to be from Toyota, the broadcaster reported, according to scmp,com,