Yamaha News,ENG,No.4 ,2006,11月,11月,The Heart of CSR,Up Front,CSR as a form of Corporate Value,Why is CSR necessary?,CSR of the Yamaha Motor Group,CSR activities of the Yamaha Motor group,Toward truly global CSR action,International Focus - Serial 54,Looking long -term with a dedication to quality and customer satisfaction,Yamaha Motor Argentina S.A.,Nawan Kuntichaikajon,Argentina,Buenos Aires,A rapidly growing motorcycle market,A large presence in the marine market,Policies to grow on,Racing Express,Everts racks up 100th career GP win and retires as a true champion,Racing,MX1,Stefan Everts,Rossi in late-season race for the title,MotoGP,Valentino Rossi,Colin Edwards,World Topics,Jupiter MX 135 wins “The Best Motorcycle” prize,Motorcycle,PAN-ASEAN TOURING,Jupiter” MX 135 (T135),Indonesia,OTOMOTIF,Letter from a pan-Euro touring XVS1100 owner,Yamaha Motor Europe NV,XVS1100,Slovenia,Rossi Joins Ranks of World Celebrities,U.S.A.,Forbes,Across Africa on the electric scooter Passol, next itʼs Asia!,Hirokazu Fujiwara,Passol,Africa,Hiroko Fujiwara,Majesty 250,Rossi Fans Ride in Full Force to GP Race at Sepang,135LC,Malaysia,Yamaha 135LC Street Stylers,Dolomitiche Alps touring event is grand success,Yamaha Motor Italia S.p.A.,FJR1300AS,Italy,Pan-European Distributor Meeting theme is “CS First”,Pan-European Distributor Meeting,Finland,YMC supports international youth football tournament as title sponsor,Sport,2006 Weifang Cup Yamaha International Youth Football Tournament,Shandong Luneng Taishan Football School,China,T135 Pan-ASEAN Touring “Itʼs Exciting!” review meeting held,Pan-ASEAN Touring,Indian Ocean tsunami aid continues with training boat and outboards,Marine,National Institute of Fisheries and Nautical Engineering,DX-79-0A,Sri Lanka,EK40G,What's New,YMCʼs new research and test lab facility begins operations,President Kajikawa,Rugby team Jubilo Yamaha dedicated to sharing Kando and community exchange,Sport,Jubilo Yamaha,Contributing to society with Rugby Schools,Zoom In,TT-R50E, the best little learner's bike,TT-R50E

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD.NOVEMBER 1, 2006 ENGLISH

No.4BIMONTHLY

achieving our corporate mission. Underthese principles and guidelines, we havestriven to use our ingenuity and passion torealize people’s dreams and always be theones people look to for “the next Kando,”and through these efforts we have tried to“create Kando for the customers” and also“create new added value.” In 1992, we went on to launch ourYAMAHA CCS activities. CCS stands forCustomer & Community Satisfaction andits aim is to foster not only the satisfactionof our customers but also to deal with theneeds of the communities where we workin order to build satisfaction in the societythat will help build our corporate value aswell. In these ways, the Yamaha Motorgroup has been pursuing activities bothinternally and externally that contribute tosociety and build trust in the YamahaMotor group companies as corporate citi-zens, long before CSR became a corporatebuzzword. This is a history of individualemployees working together for the goodof society under the principles of our Com-pany Pledge, our Corporate Mission andCCS activities. And, as we pursue ourresponsibility today as global citizens, theYamaha Motor group adds an “EthicalAspect” (Fig. 1) to the Economic, Socialand Environmental aspects of CSR thatcorporations are expected to fulfill intoday’s business world. The Yamaha Motor group’s approach toCSR involves three areas of activity asshown in Fig. 2.

2 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

UP FRONT

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 3

fined its Corporate Mission as being “acompany that creates Kando” (We CreateKando – Touching your Heart) with theaim of “Offering new excitement and amore fulfilling life to people all over theworld.” At the same time, new Manage-ment Principles and Action Guidelineswere established to guide our actions in

at this bigger picture of the social, environ-mental and economic aspects corporateactivities, CSR became the new buzzwordand the new framework for defining cor-porate value.

CSR of the Yamaha Motor Group At the time of its founding in 1955, theYamaha Motor group adopted a “Compa-ny Pledge” as a set of basic principles witha focus on the individual employee’sactions and responsibilities to society as acorporate citizen. And, although this com-pany pledge doesn’t specifically use theterm “corporate social responsibility” thatwould eventually emerge with today’sCSR concept, it is based on a very similarconcept of respect for the individualemployee and a responsible approach toneeds of society. With this pledge as aguideline, the Yamaha Motor group hassought to contribute to society through theactions of each and every employee. In 1990, the Yamaha Motor group rede-

CSR (corporate social responsibility)is something that every corporationhas to be aware of in today’s businessworld. We are in an age when corpo-rations are being asked to worktoward sustainable development andthe social responsibilities thatinvolves. At the same time, we haveentered an age when CSR can be ameans to create new corporate valuethat society and the customers willappreciate. In the Yamaha Motor group we areworking to grow our business in thisnew environment and create newcorporate value that answers theneed of the times. And, in order toachieve the goal of sustainable devel-opment, we need to work togetherwith the same approach and conceptsthat will enable us to pursue mean-ingful CSR activities on a globalscale.

Why is CSR necessary?You could say that the role of a corpora-tion is to provide products or services thatmake a contribution to society and help itsdevelopment, and companies that succeedin creating attractive, high quality prod-ucts and services that people want willstimulate the market and be rewarded withprofits. Amidst these business activities,the companies that have answered theexpectations of society and built a founda-tion of trust are the companies that havesurvived and prospered. On the other hand, this process of increas-ingly intense competition between corpo-rations has also been recognized as acause of the depletion of resources andgeneration of greenhouse gases that areresulting in environmental problemsaround the world. This is because of theundeniable effect on not only theeconomies but also the environments ofthe countries global corporations supplytheir products to.

This is why corporations are now expect-ed to shift the focus of their business activ-ities with greater concern for global envi-ronmental problems, so that they canbecome part of the solution rather thansimply being part of the cause of theseproblems. In other words, to achieve sus-tainable development corporations musttake on the responsibility of working topreserve the environment. This new awareness of corporate socialresponsibility that began with concernabout environmental issues has nowspread to other areas and broader con-cepts, like the need to pursue “sustainabledevelopment,” which was identified as akey priority by the OECD (Organizationfor Economic Cooperation and Develop-ment) in the 1998, and again the 2000United Nations Global Compact, both ofwhich called for action at the national andcorporate levels. This international discourse led to a con-sensus that the term ‘sustainable develop-ment' should be interpreted in terms of a“triple bottom line” that includes thesocial, environmental and economic con-siderations, and that corporate activitiesshould be evaluated in terms of a properbalance of these three aspects. As this wayof thinking spread, not only at the nationaland corporate levels but also among cor-porate stakeholders—including everyonefrom corporate stockholders and investorsto the customers, the local communities,employees, dealers, suppliers and also theenvironment—the triple bottom linebecame a new yardstick for measuring thevalue of a company. As corporations and society began to look

CCSSRR aass aa ffoorrmm ooff CCoorrppoorraattee VVaalluuee

United Nations Global CompactThrough the power of collectiveaction, the UN Global Compactseeks to promote responsiblecorporate citizenship so thatbusiness can be part of thesolution to the challenges ofglobalization. The Global Compact asks par-ticipating companies from allregions of the world to work toadvance ten universal princi-ples in the areas of humanrights, labour, the environment.

OECD Policy Brief No.8 1998: Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable development has three dimensions: economic,social and environmental. The concept of sustainability isderived from the scientific literature, where it characterizesthe management of a natural resource in a manner consis-tent with the preservation of its reproductive capacity. In thesocial sciences, sustainability implies a focus on considera-tions broader than economic growth and material welfarealone. Here the concept embraces equity concerns andsocial cohesion, as well as the need to address threats toglobal “commons”.It emphasizes the links between the dimensions of sustain-ability and the need for achieving balance between andamong them when they conflict.

Economicaspects

CSR of theYamaha Motor

group

Promoting business thatachieves both corporategrowth and Kando …etc.

Socialaspects

Aiming to enrich societyand coexist with the globalcommunity …etc.

Environmentalaspects

Realizing a “recycling-basedsociety” aimed at sustainabledevelopment …etc.

Ethicalaspects

Acting as global citizenswho earn the trust ofsociety …etc.

Social ContributionActivities through Business

1.

●Improving product safety●Developing environment-friendly products●Developing products that contribute to healthier life●Supporting development …etc.

Social ContributionActivities outside Business

2.

●Traffic safety promotion●Sports promotion●Environmental conservation●Supporting research/study …etc.

Social Responsible Actions Pursued throughout the Group3.

●Product assurance　●Environmental conservation activities●Employment and labor 　●Compliance　●Risk management …etc.

Fig. 1: CSR of the Yamaha Motor Group

Fig. 2: Areas of Yamaha Motor group CSR activities

CCSSRR aass aa ffoorrmm ooff CCoorrppoorraattee VVaalluuee

achieving our corporate mission. Underthese principles and guidelines, we havestriven to use our ingenuity and passion torealize people’s dreams and always be theones people look to for “the next Kando,”and through these efforts we have tried to“create Kando for the customers” and also“create new added value.” In 1992, we went on to launch ourYAMAHA CCS activities. CCS stands forCustomer & Community Satisfaction andits aim is to foster not only the satisfactionof our customers but also to deal with theneeds of the communities where we workin order to build satisfaction in the societythat will help build our corporate value aswell. In these ways, the Yamaha Motorgroup has been pursuing activities bothinternally and externally that contribute tosociety and build trust in the YamahaMotor group companies as corporate citi-zens, long before CSR became a corporatebuzzword. This is a history of individualemployees working together for the goodof society under the principles of our Com-pany Pledge, our Corporate Mission andCCS activities. And, as we pursue ourresponsibility today as global citizens, theYamaha Motor group adds an “EthicalAspect” (Fig. 1) to the Economic, Socialand Environmental aspects of CSR thatcorporations are expected to fulfill intoday’s business world. The Yamaha Motor group’s approach toCSR involves three areas of activity asshown in Fig. 2.

2 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

UP FRONT

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 3

fined its Corporate Mission as being “acompany that creates Kando” (We CreateKando – Touching your Heart) with theaim of “Offering new excitement and amore fulfilling life to people all over theworld.” At the same time, new Manage-ment Principles and Action Guidelineswere established to guide our actions in

at this bigger picture of the social, environ-mental and economic aspects corporateactivities, CSR became the new buzzwordand the new framework for defining cor-porate value.

CSR of the Yamaha Motor Group At the time of its founding in 1955, theYamaha Motor group adopted a “Compa-ny Pledge” as a set of basic principles witha focus on the individual employee’sactions and responsibilities to society as acorporate citizen. And, although this com-pany pledge doesn’t specifically use theterm “corporate social responsibility” thatwould eventually emerge with today’sCSR concept, it is based on a very similarconcept of respect for the individualemployee and a responsible approach toneeds of society. With this pledge as aguideline, the Yamaha Motor group hassought to contribute to society through theactions of each and every employee. In 1990, the Yamaha Motor group rede-

CSR (corporate social responsibility)is something that every corporationhas to be aware of in today’s businessworld. We are in an age when corpo-rations are being asked to worktoward sustainable development andthe social responsibilities thatinvolves. At the same time, we haveentered an age when CSR can be ameans to create new corporate valuethat society and the customers willappreciate. In the Yamaha Motor group we areworking to grow our business in thisnew environment and create newcorporate value that answers theneed of the times. And, in order toachieve the goal of sustainable devel-opment, we need to work togetherwith the same approach and conceptsthat will enable us to pursue mean-ingful CSR activities on a globalscale.

Why is CSR necessary?You could say that the role of a corpora-tion is to provide products or services thatmake a contribution to society and help itsdevelopment, and companies that succeedin creating attractive, high quality prod-ucts and services that people want willstimulate the market and be rewarded withprofits. Amidst these business activities,the companies that have answered theexpectations of society and built a founda-tion of trust are the companies that havesurvived and prospered. On the other hand, this process of increas-ingly intense competition between corpo-rations has also been recognized as acause of the depletion of resources andgeneration of greenhouse gases that areresulting in environmental problemsaround the world. This is because of theundeniable effect on not only theeconomies but also the environments ofthe countries global corporations supplytheir products to.

This is why corporations are now expect-ed to shift the focus of their business activ-ities with greater concern for global envi-ronmental problems, so that they canbecome part of the solution rather thansimply being part of the cause of theseproblems. In other words, to achieve sus-tainable development corporations musttake on the responsibility of working topreserve the environment. This new awareness of corporate socialresponsibility that began with concernabout environmental issues has nowspread to other areas and broader con-cepts, like the need to pursue “sustainabledevelopment,” which was identified as akey priority by the OECD (Organizationfor Economic Cooperation and Develop-ment) in the 1998, and again the 2000United Nations Global Compact, both ofwhich called for action at the national andcorporate levels. This international discourse led to a con-sensus that the term ‘sustainable develop-ment' should be interpreted in terms of a“triple bottom line” that includes thesocial, environmental and economic con-siderations, and that corporate activitiesshould be evaluated in terms of a properbalance of these three aspects. As this wayof thinking spread, not only at the nationaland corporate levels but also among cor-porate stakeholders—including everyonefrom corporate stockholders and investorsto the customers, the local communities,employees, dealers, suppliers and also theenvironment—the triple bottom linebecame a new yardstick for measuring thevalue of a company. As corporations and society began to look

CCSSRR aass aa ffoorrmm ooff CCoorrppoorraattee VVaalluuee

United Nations Global CompactThrough the power of collectiveaction, the UN Global Compactseeks to promote responsiblecorporate citizenship so thatbusiness can be part of thesolution to the challenges ofglobalization. The Global Compact asks par-ticipating companies from allregions of the world to work toadvance ten universal princi-ples in the areas of humanrights, labour, the environment.

OECD Policy Brief No.8 1998: Sustainable DevelopmentSustainable development has three dimensions: economic,social and environmental. The concept of sustainability isderived from the scientific literature, where it characterizesthe management of a natural resource in a manner consis-tent with the preservation of its reproductive capacity. In thesocial sciences, sustainability implies a focus on considera-tions broader than economic growth and material welfarealone. Here the concept embraces equity concerns andsocial cohesion, as well as the need to address threats toglobal “commons”.It emphasizes the links between the dimensions of sustain-ability and the need for achieving balance between andamong them when they conflict.

Economicaspects

CSR of theYamaha Motor

group

Promoting business thatachieves both corporategrowth and Kando …etc.

Socialaspects

Aiming to enrich societyand coexist with the globalcommunity …etc.

Environmentalaspects

Realizing a “recycling-basedsociety” aimed at sustainabledevelopment …etc.

Ethicalaspects

Acting as global citizenswho earn the trust ofsociety …etc.

Social ContributionActivities through Business

1.

●Improving product safety●Developing environment-friendly products●Developing products that contribute to healthier life●Supporting development …etc.

Social ContributionActivities outside Business

2.

●Traffic safety promotion●Sports promotion●Environmental conservation●Supporting research/study …etc.

Social Responsible Actions Pursued throughout the Group3.

●Product assurance　●Environmental conservation activities●Employment and labor 　●Compliance　●Risk management …etc.

Fig. 1: CSR of the Yamaha Motor Group

Fig. 2: Areas of Yamaha Motor group CSR activities

CCSSRR aass aa ffoorrmm ooff CCoorrppoorraattee VVaalluuee

UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 5

1. Examples of actions beingpursued throughout thegroup

In the important area of risk man-agement, the Yamaha Motor groupestablished a Risk ManagementCommittee in March of 2003 withthe aim of unifying risk manage-ment practices throughout thegroup. Regarding normally expect-ed risks, we incorporate risk allevia-tion measures into business plansand then evaluate the progress beingmade and verify results. With regardto risks that have potentially greatereffect or could even threaten theexistence of a group company, theRisk Management Committeeworks on preventative measures incooperation with the other top-levelcommittees and superintendentdepartments to help prevent crisesfrom occurring by setting risk man-agement rules and publishing a RiskManagement Manual, while alsoworking out action plans to imple-ment in case a crisis does occur. In the field of environmental action,companies throughout the globalYamaha Motor group have adoptedenvironmental management systemswith ISO14001 certification tomake sure that they are always in

compliance with environmentallaws at the national, reduce environ-mental risk and promote “green pro-curement” practices, while continu-ing to set goals and targets for ongo-ing improvement.

2. Examples of contributing tosociety through our businessAs a maker that always seeks to cre-

ate new value and stimulate thespirit of fun and enjoyment in ourcustomers, Yamaha has introduced anumber of “world first” productsover the years. In the field of envi-ronment-friendly electric vehicles,these have included the YamahaPAS electro-hybrid bicycles and the

development of a DMFC (directmethanol fueled type fuel cell) pow-ered motorcycle. In 2005, Yamahareleased the new “EC-02” electriccommuter bike as a follow-up to ouralready marketed “Passol,” whichoriginally appeared as a completelynew type of commuter vehicle thatruns solely on electricity. Withabsolutely no exhaust emissionsproduced when running, these envi-

ronment-friendly bikes representone of the most advanced forms ofpersonal vehicles available today.You can say that these are true“Only One” Yamaha brand productsthat are attracting not only motorcy-cle lovers but also environment-conscious consumers looking for anew type of personal vehicle.

3.Examples of contributing tosociety outside of our business In a joint effort with YAMAHACORPORATION (music), theYamaha Motor group has launcheda “Yamaha Forest” project inIndonesia. Under a 5-year plan, thisproject will plant between 150 and200 thousand tree saplings with theaim of replenishing the country’svaluable rain forests.The rugby and football are sportsthat bring Kando to people every-where. YMC is involved in anongoing program of rugby and foot-ball schools for children that hasbecome well established in the localc o m m u n i t yand is makinga true contri-bution to themby promotingthese sportsand raising thenext genera-tion of players.

CSR activities of the Yamaha Motor group

Sugimoto: “As everyone is surelyaware, the term CSR is in the mediaall the time now. It is probably safeto say that 2003 was the year thatcorporations around the world reallygot on the CSR wagon and startedrethinking their programs seriously.But actually, there is nothing newabout the CSR concept itself in itsfundamental form of responsibilityto society. This concept is some-thing that corporations have longtaken as a basic part of their corpo-rate stance. In that sense it is a con-cept that we have long been familiarwith. In the Yamaha Motor group, wehave made “Fulfilling social respon-sibility globally” one of our man-agement principles for a good num-ber of years and we have been pro-moting CCS (Customer and Com-munity Satisfaction) for a long time,too. In this sense, I believe that wehave truly been putting CSR inpractice for quite some time.”

Akutagawa: “As social conditionschange, so do the qualities and sub-stance of corporations’ socialresponsibility. What’s more, ourcontinued corporate globalizationhas brought us to a point where wehave to rethink our approach toCSR and be concerned about get-ting the entire global YamahaMotor group to share the sameapproach to CSR and making sure

that we are allworking in thesame direction.Although we areone global group,we come fromdifferent coun-tries with differ-ent cultural back-grounds, differ-ent positions insociety and dif-ferent values and

ways of thinking. That is why wehave to make an effort to find aunified foundation to build CSRprograms that are unique and con-sistent throughout the YamahaMotor group. Our 2006 CSR Report provides anoutline of the basic approach andpolicies of the Yamaha Motorgroup concerning CSR (see Fig. 1on page 3, Fig. 2 on page 3) of theYamaha Motor group. Furthermore,on July 1, 2006, our CSR PlanningDivision was formed as part of theinitiative to begin full-fledgeddevelopment of CSR programs thatare unified on a global scale. Dur-ing this fiscal period our offices

have begun operations in each ofthe Yamaha Motor group’s regionalareas to ensure global execution.”

Sugimoto: “As we look back overthe socially oriented programs wein the Yamaha Motor group havepursued over the years and exam-ine them from the standpoint of theCSR developments of recent years,I believe that it is important for usto return once again to the spiritthat Yamaha people have sharedsince our company’s founding andmake renewed efforts to activelycommunicate with all of our stake-holders so that we can meet theirexpectations. I think that it is important for all ofus to have a shared understandingof CSR and its issues like compli-ance and to think together and acttogether as we work toward com-mon goals. I hope that each andevery one of us in the YamahaMotor group will recognize thatwe, as individual, are all mainplayers in this task of creating CSRvision that is truly Yamaha andimplementing it with our ownminds and bodies.”

Toward truly global CSR action

CSR Planning Division, Norihiko Sugimoto

CSR Planning Division, Chitaka Akutagawa

At the time of its founding in 1955, the YamahaMotor group adopted a “Company Pledge” as a setof basic principles with a focus on the individualemployee’s actions and responsibilities to society asa corporate citizen

YMC published the CSR report2006 in May of this year

UP FRONT

4 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 5

1. Examples of actions beingpursued throughout thegroup

In the important area of risk man-agement, the Yamaha Motor groupestablished a Risk ManagementCommittee in March of 2003 withthe aim of unifying risk manage-ment practices throughout thegroup. Regarding normally expect-ed risks, we incorporate risk allevia-tion measures into business plansand then evaluate the progress beingmade and verify results. With regardto risks that have potentially greatereffect or could even threaten theexistence of a group company, theRisk Management Committeeworks on preventative measures incooperation with the other top-levelcommittees and superintendentdepartments to help prevent crisesfrom occurring by setting risk man-agement rules and publishing a RiskManagement Manual, while alsoworking out action plans to imple-ment in case a crisis does occur. In the field of environmental action,companies throughout the globalYamaha Motor group have adoptedenvironmental management systemswith ISO14001 certification tomake sure that they are always in

compliance with environmentallaws at the national, reduce environ-mental risk and promote “green pro-curement” practices, while continu-ing to set goals and targets for ongo-ing improvement.

2. Examples of contributing tosociety through our businessAs a maker that always seeks to cre-

ate new value and stimulate thespirit of fun and enjoyment in ourcustomers, Yamaha has introduced anumber of “world first” productsover the years. In the field of envi-ronment-friendly electric vehicles,these have included the YamahaPAS electro-hybrid bicycles and the

development of a DMFC (directmethanol fueled type fuel cell) pow-ered motorcycle. In 2005, Yamahareleased the new “EC-02” electriccommuter bike as a follow-up to ouralready marketed “Passol,” whichoriginally appeared as a completelynew type of commuter vehicle thatruns solely on electricity. Withabsolutely no exhaust emissionsproduced when running, these envi-

ronment-friendly bikes representone of the most advanced forms ofpersonal vehicles available today.You can say that these are true“Only One” Yamaha brand productsthat are attracting not only motorcy-cle lovers but also environment-conscious consumers looking for anew type of personal vehicle.

3.Examples of contributing tosociety outside of our business In a joint effort with YAMAHACORPORATION (music), theYamaha Motor group has launcheda “Yamaha Forest” project inIndonesia. Under a 5-year plan, thisproject will plant between 150 and200 thousand tree saplings with theaim of replenishing the country’svaluable rain forests.The rugby and football are sportsthat bring Kando to people every-where. YMC is involved in anongoing program of rugby and foot-ball schools for children that hasbecome well established in the localc o m m u n i t yand is makinga true contri-bution to themby promotingthese sportsand raising thenext genera-tion of players.

CSR activities of the Yamaha Motor group

Sugimoto: “As everyone is surelyaware, the term CSR is in the mediaall the time now. It is probably safeto say that 2003 was the year thatcorporations around the world reallygot on the CSR wagon and startedrethinking their programs seriously.But actually, there is nothing newabout the CSR concept itself in itsfundamental form of responsibilityto society. This concept is some-thing that corporations have longtaken as a basic part of their corpo-rate stance. In that sense it is a con-cept that we have long been familiarwith. In the Yamaha Motor group, wehave made “Fulfilling social respon-sibility globally” one of our man-agement principles for a good num-ber of years and we have been pro-moting CCS (Customer and Com-munity Satisfaction) for a long time,too. In this sense, I believe that wehave truly been putting CSR inpractice for quite some time.”

Akutagawa: “As social conditionschange, so do the qualities and sub-stance of corporations’ socialresponsibility. What’s more, ourcontinued corporate globalizationhas brought us to a point where wehave to rethink our approach toCSR and be concerned about get-ting the entire global YamahaMotor group to share the sameapproach to CSR and making sure

that we are allworking in thesame direction.Although we areone global group,we come fromdifferent coun-tries with differ-ent cultural back-grounds, differ-ent positions insociety and dif-ferent values and

ways of thinking. That is why wehave to make an effort to find aunified foundation to build CSRprograms that are unique and con-sistent throughout the YamahaMotor group. Our 2006 CSR Report provides anoutline of the basic approach andpolicies of the Yamaha Motorgroup concerning CSR (see Fig. 1on page 3, Fig. 2 on page 3) of theYamaha Motor group. Furthermore,on July 1, 2006, our CSR PlanningDivision was formed as part of theinitiative to begin full-fledgeddevelopment of CSR programs thatare unified on a global scale. Dur-ing this fiscal period our offices

have begun operations in each ofthe Yamaha Motor group’s regionalareas to ensure global execution.”

Sugimoto: “As we look back overthe socially oriented programs wein the Yamaha Motor group havepursued over the years and exam-ine them from the standpoint of theCSR developments of recent years,I believe that it is important for usto return once again to the spiritthat Yamaha people have sharedsince our company’s founding andmake renewed efforts to activelycommunicate with all of our stake-holders so that we can meet theirexpectations. I think that it is important for all ofus to have a shared understandingof CSR and its issues like compli-ance and to think together and acttogether as we work toward com-mon goals. I hope that each andevery one of us in the YamahaMotor group will recognize thatwe, as individual, are all mainplayers in this task of creating CSRvision that is truly Yamaha andimplementing it with our ownminds and bodies.”

Toward truly global CSR action

CSR Planning Division, Norihiko Sugimoto

CSR Planning Division, Chitaka Akutagawa

At the time of its founding in 1955, the YamahaMotor group adopted a “Company Pledge” as a setof basic principles with a focus on the individualemployee’s actions and responsibilities to society asa corporate citizen

YMC published the CSR report2006 in May of this year

GENERAL INTRODUCTION: Argentina is located at the southern end of the SouthAmerican continent and is the eighth largest country inthe world in terms of land area with 2,791,810 kÜF. Fromthe northernmost point to the southernmost Argentina is3.800 km in length and 1,425 km wide from east to west.Argentina has a population of 36,223,947 (2001 census),living mainly located in the urban centers, and mainlydescending from Spanish and Italian immigrants (80%).Around one third of the population resides in the Capitalcity and its neighboring area. Only 22% of the populationis rural.

The cuisine of Argentina Argentine cuisine derives mainlyItalian and Spanish sources, sup-plemented by the contributions ofnative ethnic groups. The nativeinfluences come mainly from theQuechua and Mapuche peoples ofAndean origin.

Because of the influx of Italian, Spanish and Middle Eastinfluences, in a way the Argentinean diet is a continuationof the “Mediterranean diet”. Another factor is that Argentina is one of the biggest foodproducers in the world, producing wheat, beans, corn,soy bean, meat (mainly beef), dairy products and muchmore.

■ Capital: Buenos Aires ■ Area: 2,791,810 sq. km■ Location: South America■ Population: 36,223,947■ Language: Spanish

6 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

A rapidly grow-ing motorcyclemarketThe motorcycle mar-ket in Argentine hasbeen growing rapidly,especially since 2004.Unit sales in 2004

were approximately 65,000 units, and in2006 that number is expected to increaseto approximately 350,000 units. Becauseof the economic situation in Argentinapresently, it is a very price-oriented marketwith approximately 80% of the sales being

inexpensive underbone type bikes of under125cc mainly imported from China.Another 16% of the demand is for slightlylarger bikes in the 125cc to 150cc range.The remaining 4% of demand is for streetbikes over 200cc and off-road bikes. Because Yamaha positions itself as amaker of quality motorcycles in Argentinaand doesn’t participate in the inexpensiveunderbone category, YMARG´s overallunit share in the motorcycle market is notlarge. But, because of the growing dissatis-faction in areas such as product warranty,technical issues and lack of spare parts

with the cheap Chi-nese-make “copybikes,” many of thenew customers whohave entered the mar-ket with one of thesebikes are alreadylooking to move up toa quality Yamahamodel like the under-bone Crypton T105and the street bikesYBR125 and XT225.In the larger displace-ment bike categoriesYamaha has a muchlarger share ranging

from 15% to 40% depending on the cate-gory, with popular models like the R1, R6,the YZ motocrossers, WR Enduro bikesand the FJR1300 cruiser. The ATV market is also dominated at pre-sent by cheap models with 50cc enginesmade mostly in China that are not reallysuited for much more than light leisure rid-ing. Here again, YMARG focuses on thecustomers who want a quality productwith good performance and the reliableservice and parts availability that theYamaha brand guaranties. When the cheap50cc models are excluded, Yamaha has48% of the ATV market share, and evenmore in the sport ATV category. YMARGis now focused on developing the utilityATV market, working with some dealersin order to introduce them on farms andvineyards and in the mining industry. Wehave also implemented the YRA trainingfor ATV customers in order to introducethe sound riding concepts.

A large presence in the marinemarketYamaha boasts a 48% share of the out-board motor market in Argentina, havinggrown over the last five years from 30% toa present 48% share. Our presence in thismarket is reinforced by many activitieslike our participation in the Buenos AiresBoat Show (Salon Nautico), fishing tour-naments and the service campaigns wehold regularly in various parts of the coun-try. In the personal watercraft market, theshare for Yamaha WaveRunners has alsobeen growing, from 54% (in the 2001), tothe present 68%. To maintain this presencein the market we are developing specialactivities with the customers. For example,we organized popular touring trips alongthe Parana River. From November 2006 toFebruary 2007 we are conducting servicecampaigns and safety riding courses.YMARG also added Diesel Marine

Engines to our product lineup this year,with a good reception from the customers,and we now plan to introduce them in themost important boat-building companiesin Argentina.

Policies to grow onAt YMARG we are committed to creatinga high level of customer satisfaction, usingour ingenuity and enthusiasm to enrichpeople’s lives. One of our targets is to beas close to the customers as possible and toprovide products and service that surpass-es their expectations. In order to achievethat goal, we carry out activities offering avarious kinds of services and benefits.Among our most frequently held activitiesare the ATV Safety Riding courses. InArgentina, ATVs are very popular duringthe summer, when the customers use themon the big dunes and forests of the beachareas. The Safety Riding courses aretaught by professional instructors for ourclient companies, the police forces, gov-ernment organizations, dealers and generalcustomers. Through these courses we edu-cate people on the correct use of the ATVand its proper handling and riding tech-niques. YMARG also implements various “FreeCheck” service campaigns for all our mainproduct lines, from motorcycles and ATVs

to WaveRunners and out-board motors. Throughthese activities we offer ourcustomers a free inspection,which includes basic techni-cal servicing (oil and filterchange) and a general diag-nosis of the unit. The lastservice campaign we heldfor motorcycles and ATVsgathered 350 customers inthree cities in the Northwestregion of the country over 6days. During the latestMarine Free Check service

campaign, we inspected and serviced 150outboard motors in the south of our coun-try.

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 7

At YMARG we are confident that thesepolicies will keep us growing despite thecurrent invasion of cheap products, asmore and more Argentine customers lookfor the quality and service that only Yama-ha offers.

SERIAL 55

Location: Buenos Aires, ArgentinaEmployees: 32

Yamaha Motor Argentina S.A. (YMARG)

YAMAHA MOTOR ARGENTINA S.A. isa relatively new company that began oper-ations in December of 1995. Founded byYMC with the aim of strengtheningYamaha’s presence in the Argentine mar-ket, YMARG has its home offices inOlivos City, in a residential town north ofthe capital Buenos Aires. The home officebuilding has a floor space of 2,000 m2

occupied by the administrative and com-mercial offices and a showroom for product exhibition. YMARG distributes a full range of YAMAHA motorcycles, ATVs for utility andsport, outboard motors, WaveRunner PWCs, marine diesel engines and PowerProducts through a nationwide sales network that includes of over 150 officialdealers, and authorized service shops.

Our reporter: Nawan Kuntichaikajon

Republic of Argentina The typical Argentine foods are roasted or grilled meat(mainly beef) called asado, meat pies called empanadas,and other dishes like tamales, humita and locro (mainlycorn cooked with meat in different ways). Argentineanrestaurants, called parrillas are very famous because ofthe quality of the meat served there. The characteristic drink of our country is mate, a kind oftea made with leaves of a local bush.

Tourism In Argentina visitorscan enjoy its fantastic,diverse and wild land-scapes. Its coastshave great possibili-ties for people search-ing for sun and beach-es. Along the Patag-

onian Atlantic coast it allows the observation of consider-able numbers of species of protected autochthonousfauna (penguins, whales, seals, etc.), as well as thestateliness of the forests, lakes and millennial glaciers. Argentina has a strong indigenous presence in the North,its colonial past in Córdoba and the Northwest, itsremarkable vineyards framed by the high summits of the“Los Andes Cordillera” with the highest mountains in all ofthe Américas, the“gaucho” (Argen-tinean cowboy)tradition in thewide and fertile“Pampa” grass-lands and its his-tory and culture inthe vital and cos-mopolitan capital,Buenos Aires.

YMARG's “Free Check” service campaigns offer customers a freeinspection of their product

ATV Safety Riding courses like these are frequently held to create a higher level of our customersatisfaction

Looking long -term with a dedication to qualityand customer satisfaction

GENERAL INTRODUCTION: Argentina is located at the southern end of the SouthAmerican continent and is the eighth largest country inthe world in terms of land area with 2,791,810 kÜF. Fromthe northernmost point to the southernmost Argentina is3.800 km in length and 1,425 km wide from east to west.Argentina has a population of 36,223,947 (2001 census),living mainly located in the urban centers, and mainlydescending from Spanish and Italian immigrants (80%).Around one third of the population resides in the Capitalcity and its neighboring area. Only 22% of the populationis rural.

The cuisine of Argentina Argentine cuisine derives mainlyItalian and Spanish sources, sup-plemented by the contributions ofnative ethnic groups. The nativeinfluences come mainly from theQuechua and Mapuche peoples ofAndean origin.

Because of the influx of Italian, Spanish and Middle Eastinfluences, in a way the Argentinean diet is a continuationof the “Mediterranean diet”. Another factor is that Argentina is one of the biggest foodproducers in the world, producing wheat, beans, corn,soy bean, meat (mainly beef), dairy products and muchmore.

■ Capital: Buenos Aires ■ Area: 2,791,810 sq. km■ Location: South America■ Population: 36,223,947■ Language: Spanish

6 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

INTERNATIONAL FOCUS

A rapidly grow-ing motorcyclemarketThe motorcycle mar-ket in Argentine hasbeen growing rapidly,especially since 2004.Unit sales in 2004

were approximately 65,000 units, and in2006 that number is expected to increaseto approximately 350,000 units. Becauseof the economic situation in Argentinapresently, it is a very price-oriented marketwith approximately 80% of the sales being

inexpensive underbone type bikes of under125cc mainly imported from China.Another 16% of the demand is for slightlylarger bikes in the 125cc to 150cc range.The remaining 4% of demand is for streetbikes over 200cc and off-road bikes. Because Yamaha positions itself as amaker of quality motorcycles in Argentinaand doesn’t participate in the inexpensiveunderbone category, YMARG´s overallunit share in the motorcycle market is notlarge. But, because of the growing dissatis-faction in areas such as product warranty,technical issues and lack of spare parts

with the cheap Chi-nese-make “copybikes,” many of thenew customers whohave entered the mar-ket with one of thesebikes are alreadylooking to move up toa quality Yamahamodel like the under-bone Crypton T105and the street bikesYBR125 and XT225.In the larger displace-ment bike categoriesYamaha has a muchlarger share ranging

from 15% to 40% depending on the cate-gory, with popular models like the R1, R6,the YZ motocrossers, WR Enduro bikesand the FJR1300 cruiser. The ATV market is also dominated at pre-sent by cheap models with 50cc enginesmade mostly in China that are not reallysuited for much more than light leisure rid-ing. Here again, YMARG focuses on thecustomers who want a quality productwith good performance and the reliableservice and parts availability that theYamaha brand guaranties. When the cheap50cc models are excluded, Yamaha has48% of the ATV market share, and evenmore in the sport ATV category. YMARGis now focused on developing the utilityATV market, working with some dealersin order to introduce them on farms andvineyards and in the mining industry. Wehave also implemented the YRA trainingfor ATV customers in order to introducethe sound riding concepts.

A large presence in the marinemarketYamaha boasts a 48% share of the out-board motor market in Argentina, havinggrown over the last five years from 30% toa present 48% share. Our presence in thismarket is reinforced by many activitieslike our participation in the Buenos AiresBoat Show (Salon Nautico), fishing tour-naments and the service campaigns wehold regularly in various parts of the coun-try. In the personal watercraft market, theshare for Yamaha WaveRunners has alsobeen growing, from 54% (in the 2001), tothe present 68%. To maintain this presencein the market we are developing specialactivities with the customers. For example,we organized popular touring trips alongthe Parana River. From November 2006 toFebruary 2007 we are conducting servicecampaigns and safety riding courses.YMARG also added Diesel Marine

Engines to our product lineup this year,with a good reception from the customers,and we now plan to introduce them in themost important boat-building companiesin Argentina.

Policies to grow onAt YMARG we are committed to creatinga high level of customer satisfaction, usingour ingenuity and enthusiasm to enrichpeople’s lives. One of our targets is to beas close to the customers as possible and toprovide products and service that surpass-es their expectations. In order to achievethat goal, we carry out activities offering avarious kinds of services and benefits.Among our most frequently held activitiesare the ATV Safety Riding courses. InArgentina, ATVs are very popular duringthe summer, when the customers use themon the big dunes and forests of the beachareas. The Safety Riding courses aretaught by professional instructors for ourclient companies, the police forces, gov-ernment organizations, dealers and generalcustomers. Through these courses we edu-cate people on the correct use of the ATVand its proper handling and riding tech-niques. YMARG also implements various “FreeCheck” service campaigns for all our mainproduct lines, from motorcycles and ATVs

to WaveRunners and out-board motors. Throughthese activities we offer ourcustomers a free inspection,which includes basic techni-cal servicing (oil and filterchange) and a general diag-nosis of the unit. The lastservice campaign we heldfor motorcycles and ATVsgathered 350 customers inthree cities in the Northwestregion of the country over 6days. During the latestMarine Free Check service

campaign, we inspected and serviced 150outboard motors in the south of our coun-try.

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 7

At YMARG we are confident that thesepolicies will keep us growing despite thecurrent invasion of cheap products, asmore and more Argentine customers lookfor the quality and service that only Yama-ha offers.

SERIAL 55

Location: Buenos Aires, ArgentinaEmployees: 32

Yamaha Motor Argentina S.A. (YMARG)

YAMAHA MOTOR ARGENTINA S.A. isa relatively new company that began oper-ations in December of 1995. Founded byYMC with the aim of strengtheningYamaha’s presence in the Argentine mar-ket, YMARG has its home offices inOlivos City, in a residential town north ofthe capital Buenos Aires. The home officebuilding has a floor space of 2,000 m2

occupied by the administrative and com-mercial offices and a showroom for product exhibition. YMARG distributes a full range of YAMAHA motorcycles, ATVs for utility andsport, outboard motors, WaveRunner PWCs, marine diesel engines and PowerProducts through a nationwide sales network that includes of over 150 officialdealers, and authorized service shops.

Our reporter: Nawan Kuntichaikajon

Republic of Argentina The typical Argentine foods are roasted or grilled meat(mainly beef) called asado, meat pies called empanadas,and other dishes like tamales, humita and locro (mainlycorn cooked with meat in different ways). Argentineanrestaurants, called parrillas are very famous because ofthe quality of the meat served there. The characteristic drink of our country is mate, a kind oftea made with leaves of a local bush.

Tourism In Argentina visitorscan enjoy its fantastic,diverse and wild land-scapes. Its coastshave great possibili-ties for people search-ing for sun and beach-es. Along the Patag-

onian Atlantic coast it allows the observation of consider-able numbers of species of protected autochthonousfauna (penguins, whales, seals, etc.), as well as thestateliness of the forests, lakes and millennial glaciers. Argentina has a strong indigenous presence in the North,its colonial past in Córdoba and the Northwest, itsremarkable vineyards framed by the high summits of the“Los Andes Cordillera” with the highest mountains in all ofthe Américas, the“gaucho” (Argen-tinean cowboy)tradition in thewide and fertile“Pampa” grass-lands and its his-tory and culture inthe vital and cos-mopolitan capital,Buenos Aires.

YMARG's “Free Check” service campaigns offer customers a freeinspection of their product

ATV Safety Riding courses like these are frequently held to create a higher level of our customersatisfaction

Looking long -term with a dedication to qualityand customer satisfaction

EXPRESSRA

CIN

GEXPRESS

RA

CIN

G

In the 12th round of the World MotocrossChampionships, the Belgium GP, StefanEverts clinched the 2006 title in the MX1class, giving him his 10th World GP title.Then in round 13, the Ireland GP, he wentout to win the 100th GP of his career but felljust short with a 2nd place finish. But hecame back on September 3 in round 14, theNetherlands GP, and ran away with bothheats to claim his momentous 100th careerwin. This great feat came in the 18th yearsince Everts’ GP debut. Stefan Everts (Belgium) was just 16 when heentered his first World Motocross GP in1989. It was in his third year of GP competi-tion in 1991 that he won his first race and

then won four more that year to claim his firstworld title. After that he won the title threeconsecutive years from 1995 to ’97. Later,however, he suffered injuries that kept himout of much of the 1999 and 2000 seasons. In2001 he made a brilliant comeback, this timeas a Yamaha factory rider, winning sevenGPs to claim the season title. After that,Everts went on to win four straight titles from2002 to ’05, which gave him an incrediblenine career World GP titles and a grand totalof 87 GP victories. Everts entered the 2006 season with two biggoals, winning his 10th world title and 100thcareer GP win. No one doubted that he couldwin his 10th title, but in order to claim his

100th career win he would have to win 13 ofthe 15 GPs in the series. Even the staunchestEverts fans wondered if such a feat were pos-sible. Everts soon erased those doubts bycharging to 12 straight victories in the first 12rounds of the season and clinching the titlewith three GPs remaining. The long awaited100th career win came in round 14 in theNetherlands. Having already announced that he would beretiring from GP racing as of this season,many fans gathered on September 17 to seeEverts’ last run at the final race of the series,the France GP. Once again, Everts gave thefans a memorable performance by winningboth heats to claim his 13th victory of the

In his final season of GP racing, Everts won his 10th title, his 101st career win and gave Yamahaits third consecutive manufacturer’s title

Everts racks up 100th career GP win and retiresas a true championEverts racks up 100th career GP win and retiresas a true champion

Motocross World Championships - MX1 MotoGP world championship

After no-pointing in a disappointing US GP (round 11) where he was forced to retire,defending MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi stood in 4th position in the season rank-ing, a full 51 points behind the leader, Nicky Hayden (Honda). During the ensuingone-month summer break, the Yamaha machine development team worked hard toget the YZR-M1 in top competitive condition for the remaining six rounds thatwould determine the title race. Those efforts showed clear results as Rossi rode to astrong 2nd behind Loris Capriossi (Ducati) in round 12. This podium finish helped

Rossi close the gap considerablyon Hayden, who finished 9th.Then in round 13 in Malaysia, itwas clear that big progress hadbeen made with the M1 as Rossiwon a heated battle with Capriossito mount the center step of thepodium. This gave Rossi his 5thwin of the season and furtherclosed the point gap with Hayden. In a drizzly round 14 in Australia,Rossi found himself back in 10thposition after the start but was ableto fight back to 3rd position. Whenthe rain worsened, a “flag to flag”was called and the riders were

allowed to return to the pit and change to spare bikes set up for wet conditions.Rossi’s pit stop caused him to lose several positions but he was still able to recover3rd place on the last corner of the last lap and salvage a podium finish. This broughtRossi up to 2nd place in the series ranking just 21 points behind Hayden. Rossi continued his charge toward the title in round 15, the Japan GP at Twin RingMotegi, where another strong 2nd placefinish brought him within 12 points ofthe ranking leader Hayden. It is clearnow that Yamaha has been able toregroup and bring the defending champwithin striking range of the title withtwo rounds remaining in the series.Both Rossi and the Yamaha team havepromised that they won’t give up untilit’s over and fans all over the world arewatching to see if Rossi can win his 3rdstraight MotoGP title with Yamaha.

At the Malaysia GP Rossi and Capriossi traded the lead four times in the last two laps before Rossi prevailed towin his 5th GP of the season

Rossi in late-seasonrace for the title Rossi in late-seasonrace for the title

season and his 101st career win. In doing so,Stefan Everts bowed out of GP racing as achampion among champions.

Of these 10 season titles and 101 GP wins,Everts claimed six titles and racked of 58 ofhis wins riding a Yamaha. During these sixseasons, he showed the worlds the outstand-ing competitiveness of the Yamahamotocross machines in a way that will live onin the memories of fans everywhere. Ridinghis Yamaha machines, Stefan Everts has wonan unshakeable place in the annals of motorsport history.

In a close season race with J. Coppins, Everts won his 5th straight title

With a regulation change the new MX1 classbecame the premier class of the World MotocrossChampionships. Everts rode the YZ450FM toseven wins and claimed the season title

Everts entered the Motocross GP riding theYZ450FM. In the final round of the series, the FranceGP, he amazed the fans by racing in the 125cc and650cc classes as well as the 500cc class and won allthree races! That gave a total of 18 wins on the sea-son, the largest number of his career

Riding the YZ500FM in the WMX 500cc class, Everts wonhis sixth World GP title. In the process he also broke J.Robert’s record for career GP wins

Everts came back from two years of injuries to ride theYamaha YZ500FM in the WMX 500cc class and claim hisfifth World GP title

After the Australia GP Rossi was still far behind in the pointrankings but he said the title was still a possibility and thathe wouldn’t give up

Colin Edwards suffered from a retirement in round 14that dropped him to 9th in the season ranking, but hemoved up to 8th place after round 15

EXPRESS

RA

CIN

G

EXPRESSRA

CIN

G

In the 12th round of the World MotocrossChampionships, the Belgium GP, StefanEverts clinched the 2006 title in the MX1class, giving him his 10th World GP title.Then in round 13, the Ireland GP, he wentout to win the 100th GP of his career but felljust short with a 2nd place finish. But hecame back on September 3 in round 14, theNetherlands GP, and ran away with bothheats to claim his momentous 100th careerwin. This great feat came in the 18th yearsince Everts’ GP debut. Stefan Everts (Belgium) was just 16 when heentered his first World Motocross GP in1989. It was in his third year of GP competi-tion in 1991 that he won his first race and

then won four more that year to claim his firstworld title. After that he won the title threeconsecutive years from 1995 to ’97. Later,however, he suffered injuries that kept himout of much of the 1999 and 2000 seasons. In2001 he made a brilliant comeback, this timeas a Yamaha factory rider, winning sevenGPs to claim the season title. After that,Everts went on to win four straight titles from2002 to ’05, which gave him an incrediblenine career World GP titles and a grand totalof 87 GP victories. Everts entered the 2006 season with two biggoals, winning his 10th world title and 100thcareer GP win. No one doubted that he couldwin his 10th title, but in order to claim his

100th career win he would have to win 13 ofthe 15 GPs in the series. Even the staunchestEverts fans wondered if such a feat were pos-sible. Everts soon erased those doubts bycharging to 12 straight victories in the first 12rounds of the season and clinching the titlewith three GPs remaining. The long awaited100th career win came in round 14 in theNetherlands. Having already announced that he would beretiring from GP racing as of this season,many fans gathered on September 17 to seeEverts’ last run at the final race of the series,the France GP. Once again, Everts gave thefans a memorable performance by winningboth heats to claim his 13th victory of the

In his final season of GP racing, Everts won his 10th title, his 101st career win and gave Yamahaits third consecutive manufacturer’s title

Everts racks up 100th career GP win and retiresas a true championEverts racks up 100th career GP win and retiresas a true champion

Motocross World Championships - MX1 MotoGP world championship

After no-pointing in a disappointing US GP (round 11) where he was forced to retire,defending MotoGP champ Valentino Rossi stood in 4th position in the season rank-ing, a full 51 points behind the leader, Nicky Hayden (Honda). During the ensuingone-month summer break, the Yamaha machine development team worked hard toget the YZR-M1 in top competitive condition for the remaining six rounds thatwould determine the title race. Those efforts showed clear results as Rossi rode to astrong 2nd behind Loris Capriossi (Ducati) in round 12. This podium finish helped

Rossi close the gap considerablyon Hayden, who finished 9th.Then in round 13 in Malaysia, itwas clear that big progress hadbeen made with the M1 as Rossiwon a heated battle with Capriossito mount the center step of thepodium. This gave Rossi his 5thwin of the season and furtherclosed the point gap with Hayden. In a drizzly round 14 in Australia,Rossi found himself back in 10thposition after the start but was ableto fight back to 3rd position. Whenthe rain worsened, a “flag to flag”was called and the riders were

allowed to return to the pit and change to spare bikes set up for wet conditions.Rossi’s pit stop caused him to lose several positions but he was still able to recover3rd place on the last corner of the last lap and salvage a podium finish. This broughtRossi up to 2nd place in the series ranking just 21 points behind Hayden. Rossi continued his charge toward the title in round 15, the Japan GP at Twin RingMotegi, where another strong 2nd placefinish brought him within 12 points ofthe ranking leader Hayden. It is clearnow that Yamaha has been able toregroup and bring the defending champwithin striking range of the title withtwo rounds remaining in the series.Both Rossi and the Yamaha team havepromised that they won’t give up untilit’s over and fans all over the world arewatching to see if Rossi can win his 3rdstraight MotoGP title with Yamaha.

At the Malaysia GP Rossi and Capriossi traded the lead four times in the last two laps before Rossi prevailed towin his 5th GP of the season

Rossi in late-seasonrace for the title Rossi in late-seasonrace for the title

season and his 101st career win. In doing so,Stefan Everts bowed out of GP racing as achampion among champions.

Of these 10 season titles and 101 GP wins,Everts claimed six titles and racked of 58 ofhis wins riding a Yamaha. During these sixseasons, he showed the worlds the outstand-ing competitiveness of the Yamahamotocross machines in a way that will live onin the memories of fans everywhere. Ridinghis Yamaha machines, Stefan Everts has wonan unshakeable place in the annals of motorsport history.

In a close season race with J. Coppins, Everts won his 5th straight title

With a regulation change the new MX1 classbecame the premier class of the World MotocrossChampionships. Everts rode the YZ450FM toseven wins and claimed the season title

Everts entered the Motocross GP riding theYZ450FM. In the final round of the series, the FranceGP, he amazed the fans by racing in the 125cc and650cc classes as well as the 500cc class and won allthree races! That gave a total of 18 wins on the sea-son, the largest number of his career

Riding the YZ500FM in the WMX 500cc class, Everts wonhis sixth World GP title. In the process he also broke J.Robert’s record for career GP wins

Everts came back from two years of injuries to ride theYamaha YZ500FM in the WMX 500cc class and claim hisfifth World GP title

After the Australia GP Rossi was still far behind in the pointrankings but he said the title was still a possibility and thathe wouldn’t give up

Colin Edwards suffered from a retirement in round 14that dropped him to 9th in the season ranking, but hemoved up to 8th place after round 15

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 1110 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

Indonesia

The Indonesian motorcycle magazine OTOMOTIF has chosen the Yamaha “Jupiter” MX 135 (T135)as “The Best Motorcycle” in the 125cc to 135cc category. On August 5th, the award plaque for thisprestigious prize was presented to Mr. Kuromoto, General Manager of YMC’s CV (Commuter Vehicle)Engineering Division, on the occasion of his visit to Indonesia for a special event commemorating thesuccessful conclusion of the “PAN-ASEAN TOURING” event that began in Indonesia last Novemberand toured the T135 (Indonesian market name: Jupiter MX 135) though six ASEAN countries over six-month period. Some 4,000 customers were on hand at the event to see the award ceremony. From CV Business Operations, YMC

Jupiter MX 135 wins “The Best Motorcycle”prize

At the T135 “PAN-ASEAN TOURING” event venue, Mr. Kuromotoaccepts the Best Motorcycle award plaque

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to the editorial staff

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp>

Malaysia

Six hundred Yamaha bikers, mostly riding the hot newmodel 135LC, converged from all over Malaysia at theSummit Hotel in Subang Jaya near Kuala Lumpur onSunday morning, Sept. 10, to ride as a convoy to theMotoGP, Malaysian GP, at Sepang Circuit. Calling them-selves the “Yamaha 135LC Street Stylers,” this grandconvoy organized as a 135LC user event by MalaysianYamaha distributor Hong Leong Yamaha Motor (HLYM)came out to show their support of Yamaha’s MotoGPdefending champion, Valentino Rossi. At the official flag-off ceremony to send the convoy off to Sepang, Mr. C. H.Ng, Managing Director of HLYM, welcomed YB Dato’Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Youth &Sports. Then, led by experienced ‘Marshalls’ and‘Sweepers’, the convoy rode off in double formation likea long yellow snake in their yellow T-shirts copyingRossi’s team color. It was no doubt an impressive sightfor everyone along the highway.For HLYM, this event was also an opportunity to teachthe self-discipline, correct hand signals and riding forma-tion necessary for enjoying group riding safety. And theparticipants were further rewarded when Valentino Rossiwon that day’s race MotoGP with a superb corner sweepon the last lap. From Jennifer Lee, Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd.,Malaysia

Rossi Fans Ride in Full Force to GP Race at SepangThe President of YMES, Mr. Lasheras's speech

Slovenia

Yamaha Motor Europe NV (YMENV) recently received aletter from a very satisfied owner of a Yamaha DRAGSTAR XVS 1100 named Branko Pajer from Slovenia thatwe would like to share with our readers in excerpts. Mr.Pajer expressed his gratitude to Yamaha for making sucha great bike and then explained what exceptional perfor-mance it has given him. “All these years the bike servedme perfectly, it didn't stall once, although some [of our]

journeys were 10.000 km long,” he writes. Since he purchased the bike in 2000, it has alreadyrecorded 100,000 km on the odometer by carrying him and his wife to the four extremes ofEurope. “In 2002 we reached the northernmost point of Europe, Nordkapp (Norway), in 2003 thewesternmost point, Cape Rocca (Portugal) and the southernmost point, Estrecho De Gibraltar inTarifa (Spain). Now we have reached the easternmost point of Europe, Zlatoust in Russia’s Uralmountains.” All of this was accomplished with the XVS1100 carrying the owner and his wife and afull load of luggage. No wonder he concludes, “YAMAHA brand is THE BEST!”

Letter from a pan-Euro touringXVS1100 owner

USA

The reigning MotoGP world champion, ValentinoRossi has been chosen by America’s financialand business biweekly Forbes (July 3 issue) asone of its top 100 celebrities in the world. The factthat Rossi ranked #64 among the world’s celebri-ties is solid proof of the great popularity ofMotoGP racing in Europe and other parts of theworld. By the way, the top ranked celebrity wasUS actor Tom Cruise.

Rossi Joins Ranks ofWorld Celebrities

Mr. Branko Pajer and his wife with their dependableXVS1100

The Forbes issue with the top 100 celebrities feature that includedYamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi

Across Africa on the electric scooter Passol, next it’s Asia!In recent issues of YamahaNews we have been reportingon the progress of the around-the-world journey of Mr.Hirokazu Fujiwara and his wifeHiroko riding Yamaha’s Passolelectric commuter bike and aMajesty 250 scooter. In thisjourney around the world to visitgreat old trees on each conti-nent and spread a messageabout environmental concernfor trees, the Fujiwaras havealready crossed the Americas,Australia and Europe. We nowreceive word that they havesuccessfully completed theAfrican leg of their journey withtheir odometers reading 36,000km and having visited 34 coun-tries. Now they have departedAthens heading east acrossAsia with plans to reach Japanand the end of their journey inApril 2007.

Africa

Smiling from the seat of his Passol, Mr.Fujiwara and his wife recently crossedAfrica and are now crossing Asia

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 1110 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

Indonesia

The Indonesian motorcycle magazine OTOMOTIF has chosen the Yamaha “Jupiter” MX 135 (T135)as “The Best Motorcycle” in the 125cc to 135cc category. On August 5th, the award plaque for thisprestigious prize was presented to Mr. Kuromoto, General Manager of YMC’s CV (Commuter Vehicle)Engineering Division, on the occasion of his visit to Indonesia for a special event commemorating thesuccessful conclusion of the “PAN-ASEAN TOURING” event that began in Indonesia last Novemberand toured the T135 (Indonesian market name: Jupiter MX 135) though six ASEAN countries over six-month period. Some 4,000 customers were on hand at the event to see the award ceremony. From CV Business Operations, YMC

Jupiter MX 135 wins “The Best Motorcycle”prize

At the T135 “PAN-ASEAN TOURING” event venue, Mr. Kuromotoaccepts the Best Motorcycle award plaque

We always welcome your contributions.

Write to the editorial staff

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.

2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka 438-8501 Japan,

<yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp>

Malaysia

Six hundred Yamaha bikers, mostly riding the hot newmodel 135LC, converged from all over Malaysia at theSummit Hotel in Subang Jaya near Kuala Lumpur onSunday morning, Sept. 10, to ride as a convoy to theMotoGP, Malaysian GP, at Sepang Circuit. Calling them-selves the “Yamaha 135LC Street Stylers,” this grandconvoy organized as a 135LC user event by MalaysianYamaha distributor Hong Leong Yamaha Motor (HLYM)came out to show their support of Yamaha’s MotoGPdefending champion, Valentino Rossi. At the official flag-off ceremony to send the convoy off to Sepang, Mr. C. H.Ng, Managing Director of HLYM, welcomed YB Dato’Liow Tiong Lai, Malaysia’s Deputy Minister of Youth &Sports. Then, led by experienced ‘Marshalls’ and‘Sweepers’, the convoy rode off in double formation likea long yellow snake in their yellow T-shirts copyingRossi’s team color. It was no doubt an impressive sightfor everyone along the highway.For HLYM, this event was also an opportunity to teachthe self-discipline, correct hand signals and riding forma-tion necessary for enjoying group riding safety. And theparticipants were further rewarded when Valentino Rossiwon that day’s race MotoGP with a superb corner sweepon the last lap. From Jennifer Lee, Hong Leong Yamaha Motor Sdn. Bhd.,Malaysia

Rossi Fans Ride in Full Force to GP Race at SepangThe President of YMES, Mr. Lasheras's speech

Slovenia

Yamaha Motor Europe NV (YMENV) recently received aletter from a very satisfied owner of a Yamaha DRAGSTAR XVS 1100 named Branko Pajer from Slovenia thatwe would like to share with our readers in excerpts. Mr.Pajer expressed his gratitude to Yamaha for making sucha great bike and then explained what exceptional perfor-mance it has given him. “All these years the bike servedme perfectly, it didn't stall once, although some [of our]

journeys were 10.000 km long,” he writes. Since he purchased the bike in 2000, it has alreadyrecorded 100,000 km on the odometer by carrying him and his wife to the four extremes ofEurope. “In 2002 we reached the northernmost point of Europe, Nordkapp (Norway), in 2003 thewesternmost point, Cape Rocca (Portugal) and the southernmost point, Estrecho De Gibraltar inTarifa (Spain). Now we have reached the easternmost point of Europe, Zlatoust in Russia’s Uralmountains.” All of this was accomplished with the XVS1100 carrying the owner and his wife and afull load of luggage. No wonder he concludes, “YAMAHA brand is THE BEST!”

Letter from a pan-Euro touringXVS1100 owner

USA

The reigning MotoGP world champion, ValentinoRossi has been chosen by America’s financialand business biweekly Forbes (July 3 issue) asone of its top 100 celebrities in the world. The factthat Rossi ranked #64 among the world’s celebri-ties is solid proof of the great popularity ofMotoGP racing in Europe and other parts of theworld. By the way, the top ranked celebrity wasUS actor Tom Cruise.

Rossi Joins Ranks ofWorld Celebrities

Mr. Branko Pajer and his wife with their dependableXVS1100

The Forbes issue with the top 100 celebrities feature that includedYamaha MotoGP rider Valentino Rossi

Across Africa on the electric scooter Passol, next it’s Asia!In recent issues of YamahaNews we have been reportingon the progress of the around-the-world journey of Mr.Hirokazu Fujiwara and his wifeHiroko riding Yamaha’s Passolelectric commuter bike and aMajesty 250 scooter. In thisjourney around the world to visitgreat old trees on each conti-nent and spread a messageabout environmental concernfor trees, the Fujiwaras havealready crossed the Americas,Australia and Europe. We nowreceive word that they havesuccessfully completed theAfrican leg of their journey withtheir odometers reading 36,000km and having visited 34 coun-tries. Now they have departedAthens heading east acrossAsia with plans to reach Japanand the end of their journey inApril 2007.

Africa

Smiling from the seat of his Passol, Mr.Fujiwara and his wife recently crossedAfrica and are now crossing Asia

12 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 13

To have your topic included in Yamaha News World Topics:

1) Send us your text or an outline of the contents, making sure to specify who, what, when, where, why

and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution photos with explanations.

3) Submissions received in Japan by the 20th of odd-numbered months will be considered for the next

issue.

Indian Ocean tsunami aid continues with training boat and out-boards

When the devastating Indian Ocean tsunamistruck Sri Lanka’s east coast December 2004,one of the many boats damaged was the Yama-ha-design fishery training boat operated by theNational Institute of Fisheries and Nautical Engi-neering (NIFNE). As part of the Japanese gov-ernment’s aid package to help in the recovery ofthe fishing industry here in Sri Lanka, a newYamaha DX-79-0A boat (built by Yamaki Manu-facturing Co., Ltd.) was recently delivered as areplacement for the damaged training boat. Thenew boat was immediately praised for its out-standing running stability and the great utility ofits wide gunwale top. Elsewhere, 34 units of theYamaha EK40G outboard motors have beendelivered to fishermen in Aceh, Indonesia, anoth-er area severely struck by the tsunami. From Takayanagi, OMDO, YMC

Italy

When Yamaha Motor Italia S.p.A. held the second of its 2006 cus-tomer-appreciation touring events in the Dolomitiche Alps region ofnorthern Italy from June 23 to 25, a total of 10,000 enthusiasticYamaha fans gathered over the event’s three days to enjoy aschedule of touring, Yamaha model test rides (1,600 people) stuntshows and night shows. A press introduction of the newFJR1300AS was also held in conjunction with the event and drewhigh praise for the model’s advanced technologies.From Paolo Pavesio, YMIT, Italy

Dolomitiche Alps touringevent is grand success

Sri Lanka

Finland

From July 10 to 12, Yamaha Motor Europe NV (YMENV) held its Pan-European Distributor Meeting in the Finish capital, Helsinki. Some 200distributor representatives attended the meeting along with YMC’s Presi-dent Kajikawa and top management from the various Operations. Thetheme of the meeting was “CS (Customer Satisfaction) First” and thefirst day’s agenda centered around the management conference. In anew meeting format, the second day’s schedule included new modelintroductions and specialized conferences for the different departmentrepresentatives, throughout which CS measures and policies for the dif-ferent business operations were stressed as everyone prepared for thestart of the 2007 business year. From YMENV

Pan-European DistributorMeeting theme is “CS First”

China

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. recently served as title sponsor for the “2006 WeifangCup Yamaha International Youth Football Tournament” organized by theShandong Luneng Taishan Football School in Jinan, Shandong Province fromAugust 5 to 10. The purpose of this sponsorship was to promote the healthydevelopment of youth through sports and international exchange. The tourna-ment gathered thirteen teams from the six countries of Australia, Japan, Ser-bia Montenegro, South Korea, Germany and China, Among these teamswere the Under-13 and Under-15 youth teams from the Yama-ha Jubilo Soccer School inJapan run by YMC and theYamaha Football Club (JubiloIwata).

YMC supports internationalyouth football tournament astitle sponsor

Many appreciative Yamahaowners gathered for the touringevent in the scenic DolomiticheAlps

YMC President Kajikawaaddressed the distributors

Yamaha staff instructed representatives of Sri Lanka’sNational Institute of Fisheries and Nautical Engineeringin use of the new boat

The beautiful city of Helsinki was the venue for the meeting

Indonesia

On August 4 and 5, a meeting was held in Bali, Indonesia, toreview the results of the grand six-month Pan-ASEAN Touringevent for the new moped model T135. The first day of the meet-ing was dedicated to a review of the touring event, reports onthe sales record thus far for the T135 and discussions about fur-ther sales promotion projects. The second day, a report on theresults of the touring event was given in front of members of thepress representing 40 media companies. This was followed bya commemorative touring event and a grand-scale party attend-ed by some 4,000 Yamaha customers to celebrate the event’ssuccess. From CV Business Operations, YMC

T135 Pan-ASEAN Touring“It’s Exciting!” reviewmeeting held

The Pan-ASEAN Touring review meeting was held on the island of Bali

Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after

the editing process. Send your articles to us by e-mail, the edi-

torial staff, at the address below. E-mail: yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp

A new fisheries training boat was supplied to Sri Lanka as tsunami relief aid

12 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 13

To have your topic included in Yamaha News World Topics:

1) Send us your text or an outline of the contents, making sure to specify who, what, when, where, why

and how details.

2) Also send 1 or 2 high-resolution photos with explanations.

3) Submissions received in Japan by the 20th of odd-numbered months will be considered for the next

issue.

Indian Ocean tsunami aid continues with training boat and out-boards

When the devastating Indian Ocean tsunamistruck Sri Lanka’s east coast December 2004,one of the many boats damaged was the Yama-ha-design fishery training boat operated by theNational Institute of Fisheries and Nautical Engi-neering (NIFNE). As part of the Japanese gov-ernment’s aid package to help in the recovery ofthe fishing industry here in Sri Lanka, a newYamaha DX-79-0A boat (built by Yamaki Manu-facturing Co., Ltd.) was recently delivered as areplacement for the damaged training boat. Thenew boat was immediately praised for its out-standing running stability and the great utility ofits wide gunwale top. Elsewhere, 34 units of theYamaha EK40G outboard motors have beendelivered to fishermen in Aceh, Indonesia, anoth-er area severely struck by the tsunami. From Takayanagi, OMDO, YMC

Italy

When Yamaha Motor Italia S.p.A. held the second of its 2006 cus-tomer-appreciation touring events in the Dolomitiche Alps region ofnorthern Italy from June 23 to 25, a total of 10,000 enthusiasticYamaha fans gathered over the event’s three days to enjoy aschedule of touring, Yamaha model test rides (1,600 people) stuntshows and night shows. A press introduction of the newFJR1300AS was also held in conjunction with the event and drewhigh praise for the model’s advanced technologies.From Paolo Pavesio, YMIT, Italy

Dolomitiche Alps touringevent is grand success

Sri Lanka

Finland

From July 10 to 12, Yamaha Motor Europe NV (YMENV) held its Pan-European Distributor Meeting in the Finish capital, Helsinki. Some 200distributor representatives attended the meeting along with YMC’s Presi-dent Kajikawa and top management from the various Operations. Thetheme of the meeting was “CS (Customer Satisfaction) First” and thefirst day’s agenda centered around the management conference. In anew meeting format, the second day’s schedule included new modelintroductions and specialized conferences for the different departmentrepresentatives, throughout which CS measures and policies for the dif-ferent business operations were stressed as everyone prepared for thestart of the 2007 business year. From YMENV

Pan-European DistributorMeeting theme is “CS First”

China

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. recently served as title sponsor for the “2006 WeifangCup Yamaha International Youth Football Tournament” organized by theShandong Luneng Taishan Football School in Jinan, Shandong Province fromAugust 5 to 10. The purpose of this sponsorship was to promote the healthydevelopment of youth through sports and international exchange. The tourna-ment gathered thirteen teams from the six countries of Australia, Japan, Ser-bia Montenegro, South Korea, Germany and China, Among these teamswere the Under-13 and Under-15 youth teams from the Yama-ha Jubilo Soccer School inJapan run by YMC and theYamaha Football Club (JubiloIwata).

YMC supports internationalyouth football tournament astitle sponsor

Many appreciative Yamahaowners gathered for the touringevent in the scenic DolomiticheAlps

YMC President Kajikawaaddressed the distributors

Yamaha staff instructed representatives of Sri Lanka’sNational Institute of Fisheries and Nautical Engineeringin use of the new boat

The beautiful city of Helsinki was the venue for the meeting

Indonesia

On August 4 and 5, a meeting was held in Bali, Indonesia, toreview the results of the grand six-month Pan-ASEAN Touringevent for the new moped model T135. The first day of the meet-ing was dedicated to a review of the touring event, reports onthe sales record thus far for the T135 and discussions about fur-ther sales promotion projects. The second day, a report on theresults of the touring event was given in front of members of thepress representing 40 media companies. This was followed bya commemorative touring event and a grand-scale party attend-ed by some 4,000 Yamaha customers to celebrate the event’ssuccess. From CV Business Operations, YMC

T135 Pan-ASEAN Touring“It’s Exciting!” reviewmeeting held

The Pan-ASEAN Touring review meeting was held on the island of Bali

Notice of when your article will appear in YN will be made after

the editing process. Send your articles to us by e-mail, the edi-

torial staff, at the address below. E-mail: yamahanews@yamaha-motor.co.jp

A new fisheries training boat was supplied to Sri Lanka as tsunami relief aid

Team became a member and adopted thesame “Jubilo” (Jubilation in Spanish) nameas the former Yamaha football club andcurrent professional team Jubilo Iwata.Today Jubilo Yamaha continues to com-pete as one of the strongest teams in Japan. Looking to the future, YMC will continueto promote both motor sports and physicalsports like rugby and soccer as activitiesthat bring “dreams and Kando” and stimu-late exchange between people, both insideand outside the company, while contribut-ing to the development of sports and help-ing us fulfill our corporate mission of creat-ing Kando.

At Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) ourcorporate mission is to be a company thatcreates that special mix of excitement anddeep satisfaction that we call Kando inJapanese. As part of this commitment,YMC has been involved in activities likemotor sports on a global scale, beginningsoon after our company’s founding andcontinuing ever since in an ongoing “chal-lenge” that has become a core of our cor-porate culture. Another part of our corpo-rate culture that we have long pursued as away to contribute to society and also invig-orate our employees is the promotion of avariety of physical (participation) sports.Among these, our company rugby andfootball (soccer) teams have been particu-

larly successful in competition at the high-est levels of their sport in Japan (theYamaha Football Club became an inde-pendent professional team in 1992). The Yamaha Motor Rugby Team wasestablished in 1984, and in 1987 it wasdesignated as one of the corporate sportsteams to receive company support. Afterthat, the team improved rapidly and finallyin 2002 it won the championship inJapan’s most competitive corporate leagueat the time, the Western Japan A League.With the 2003 establishment of the “JapanRugby Top League” as the nation’s pinna-cle league, the Yamaha Motor Rugby

In Japan’s rugby “Top League” Jubilo Yamaha finished 3rd, 2nd and 7th respectively in 2003, ’04 and ’05

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 15

On July 19, 2006, a ceremony was heldto officially open the new research andtest lab facility just completed at YamahaMotor Co., Ltd. (YMC) headquarters inIwata. Attending the ceremony wereYMC’s top management and a gatheringof 50 distinguished guests from theindustry. In all categories of today’s motorcyclemarket the demand for higher levels oftechnology, performance, product qualityand environment-friendly performance isgrowing year by year. To answer thesegrowing demands, Yamaha has contin-ued to develop new products and newtechnologies, and now the new research

and test lab facility has been built as afacility to help accelerate these researchand development processes even more. The actual facilities in the new buildingincluded state-of-the-art chassis andbench facilities for testing engine exhaustemissions and verifying performance thatmeets the increasingly strict emissionsstandards now being required in Europe,the Americas, Asia and other parts of theworld. At the same time, the new build-ing offers facility space for the differentdepartments involved in developing theelectronic control technologies that arecore technologies in research and devel-opment to work in the same building.

The aim of this consolidation and inte-gration is to strengthen these operationsin the fundamental aspects of productdevelopment and thus promote processinnovation while increasing developmentspeed and quality.

14 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

At the opening, YMC’s President Kajikawa said, “We will workto make this a facility that makes us even better equipped to sur-pass the expectations of our customers around the world”

Rugby team Jubilo Yamaha dedicated tosharing Kando and community exchange Rugby team Jubilo Yamaha dedicated tosharing Kando and community exchange

YMC’s new research and test lab facilitybegins operations YMC’s new research and test lab facilitybegins operations

YMC’s Chairman Hasegawa,President Kajikawa and SeniorManaging Director Togamijoined in the tape cutting cere-mony, after which the buildingwas christened in a traditionalJapanese ceremony

The floor layout is designed to promote communication between the employees as they work,based on an “on site” concept

The ceremony also included a tour of thenew facility

Besides participating in Japan’s top rugby league,Jubilo Yamaha has been teaching rugby semi-nars for school children since 2000 as part of theteam’s regular activities. In 2003 this program wasnamed the Rugby School program, and under thisname it continues its mission of communicating tochildren the joys of participating in sports throughcompetition and the invaluable lessons of workingtogether with teammates, developing mutualunderstanding and cooperation and building

strong, healthy bodies. Through these activities, YMC is contributing to local communities, especiallyin the Iwata city area where our headquarters are located.

The Japan Rugby Top League kicked off its 2006 season onSeptember 2

Former players of the Yamaha Motor Rugby Team serve asthe main instructors for the Yamaha Rugby Schools

Contributing to society with Rugby Schools

Team became a member and adopted thesame “Jubilo” (Jubilation in Spanish) nameas the former Yamaha football club andcurrent professional team Jubilo Iwata.Today Jubilo Yamaha continues to com-pete as one of the strongest teams in Japan. Looking to the future, YMC will continueto promote both motor sports and physicalsports like rugby and soccer as activitiesthat bring “dreams and Kando” and stimu-late exchange between people, both insideand outside the company, while contribut-ing to the development of sports and help-ing us fulfill our corporate mission of creat-ing Kando.

At Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. (YMC) ourcorporate mission is to be a company thatcreates that special mix of excitement anddeep satisfaction that we call Kando inJapanese. As part of this commitment,YMC has been involved in activities likemotor sports on a global scale, beginningsoon after our company’s founding andcontinuing ever since in an ongoing “chal-lenge” that has become a core of our cor-porate culture. Another part of our corpo-rate culture that we have long pursued as away to contribute to society and also invig-orate our employees is the promotion of avariety of physical (participation) sports.Among these, our company rugby andfootball (soccer) teams have been particu-

larly successful in competition at the high-est levels of their sport in Japan (theYamaha Football Club became an inde-pendent professional team in 1992). The Yamaha Motor Rugby Team wasestablished in 1984, and in 1987 it wasdesignated as one of the corporate sportsteams to receive company support. Afterthat, the team improved rapidly and finallyin 2002 it won the championship inJapan’s most competitive corporate leagueat the time, the Western Japan A League.With the 2003 establishment of the “JapanRugby Top League” as the nation’s pinna-cle league, the Yamaha Motor Rugby

In Japan’s rugby “Top League” Jubilo Yamaha finished 3rd, 2nd and 7th respectively in 2003, ’04 and ’05

YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006 15

On July 19, 2006, a ceremony was heldto officially open the new research andtest lab facility just completed at YamahaMotor Co., Ltd. (YMC) headquarters inIwata. Attending the ceremony wereYMC’s top management and a gatheringof 50 distinguished guests from theindustry. In all categories of today’s motorcyclemarket the demand for higher levels oftechnology, performance, product qualityand environment-friendly performance isgrowing year by year. To answer thesegrowing demands, Yamaha has contin-ued to develop new products and newtechnologies, and now the new research

and test lab facility has been built as afacility to help accelerate these researchand development processes even more. The actual facilities in the new buildingincluded state-of-the-art chassis andbench facilities for testing engine exhaustemissions and verifying performance thatmeets the increasingly strict emissionsstandards now being required in Europe,the Americas, Asia and other parts of theworld. At the same time, the new build-ing offers facility space for the differentdepartments involved in developing theelectronic control technologies that arecore technologies in research and devel-opment to work in the same building.

The aim of this consolidation and inte-gration is to strengthen these operationsin the fundamental aspects of productdevelopment and thus promote processinnovation while increasing developmentspeed and quality.

14 YAMAHA NEWS NOVEMBER 1, 2006

At the opening, YMC’s President Kajikawa said, “We will workto make this a facility that makes us even better equipped to sur-pass the expectations of our customers around the world”

Rugby team Jubilo Yamaha dedicated tosharing Kando and community exchange Rugby team Jubilo Yamaha dedicated tosharing Kando and community exchange

YMC’s new research and test lab facilitybegins operations YMC’s new research and test lab facilitybegins operations

YMC’s Chairman Hasegawa,President Kajikawa and SeniorManaging Director Togamijoined in the tape cutting cere-mony, after which the buildingwas christened in a traditionalJapanese ceremony

The floor layout is designed to promote communication between the employees as they work,based on an “on site” concept

The ceremony also included a tour of thenew facility

Besides participating in Japan’s top rugby league,Jubilo Yamaha has been teaching rugby semi-nars for school children since 2000 as part of theteam’s regular activities. In 2003 this program wasnamed the Rugby School program, and under thisname it continues its mission of communicating tochildren the joys of participating in sports throughcompetition and the invaluable lessons of workingtogether with teammates, developing mutualunderstanding and cooperation and building

strong, healthy bodies. Through these activities, YMC is contributing to local communities, especiallyin the Iwata city area where our headquarters are located.

The Japan Rugby Top League kicked off its 2006 season onSeptember 2

Former players of the Yamaha Motor Rugby Team serve asthe main instructors for the Yamaha Rugby Schools

Contributing to society with Rugby Schools

Printed in Japanhttp://www.yamaha-motor.co.jp

YAMAHA MOTOR CO., LTD. Corporate Communication Dept. 2500 Shingai, Iwata, Shizuoka, 438-8501 Japan Tel: 81-538-32-1145, Fax: 81-538-37-4250

Z O O M I NZ O O M I N

TT-R50E, the bestlittle learner’s bikeTT-R50E, the bestlittle learner’s bike

If you think that off-road riding is justfor grown-ups, we have news foryou. Just look at the now legendary

motocross champion Stefan Everts (seeRacing page) who began riding amotocross mini-bike at the age of three.There is no age limit for off-road riding;it is a sport that anyone can enjoy if theyhave the right bike. Many people even

say that it is the truest form of motorcy-cling enjoyment. And just like adults gethooked on the joys of riding the YamahaYZ motocrossers, children will also fallin love with riding if they just get thechance. The bike that gives that chance to somany children is the Yamaha TT-R50E.Powered by an air-cooled single-cylinder

50cc 4-stroke engine with a 3-speedreturn type transmission with an auto-matic centrifugal clutch that requires noclutch operation and fully outfitted witha foot brake and high-performance frontand rear suspensions to handle off-roadriding, this entry-level kids bike providesthe perfect introduction to the joys ofmotorcycle riding. All this is why theTT-R50E is nicknamed the “best studybike” in Japan.You will also be impressed by the lookof this stylish little machine. It has thesame type of “block pattern” graphicsthat accentuates the high performancepotential of the YZ competition bikes aswell as the same dynamic look to themuffler, front and rear fenders, air scoopand seat as the YZ models. Any child issure to be excited by this look of “thereal thing” and feel like a true rider. The TT-R50E is a dream come true formany children and the best machine theycould ever have to learn the joys ofmotorcycling.