TRIS Rating Co., Ltd. has affirmed the ratings of Toyota Leasing (Thailand) Co., Ltd.’s (TLT or Issuer) issues of Bt25,100 million in guaranteed debentures under the Bt30,000 million medium-term debenture program at “AAA”, and has affirmed the rating of TLT’s issues of Bt10,000 million in guaranteed debentures under the short-term program at “T1+”. At the same time, TRIS Rating has assigned a “AAA” rating to TLT’s proposed issue of up to Bt4,900 million in guaranteed debentures under the medium-term program. The rating outlook remains “stable”. Both the medium- and short-term issues are guaranteed by Toyota Motor Finance (Netherlands) B.V., (TMF or Guarantor). TMF is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Toyota Financial Service Corporation (TFS), which is 100% held by Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC), the ultimate parent company. All three companies, TMF, TFS and TMC are rated at “AA+” with “negative’ outlook by Standard & Poor’s (S&P), and at “Aa1” with “negative’ outlook by Moody’s Investors Service (Moody’s), with short-term issue ratings at “A-1+” by S&P and at “Prime-1” by Moody’s, respectively.
TRIS Rating said, the ratings of TLT’s medium- and short-term debenture programs reflect the unconditional and irrevocable guarantee by TMF, whose rating is based on the credit strength of TMC. Under this guarantee structure, TMC has provided a Credit Support Agreement (CSA) to TFS, which in turn provided a CSA to TMF. Under the terms of the CSA, TMC will provide sufficient liquidity for bond or debenture and commercial paper obligations of both subsidiaries, TFS and TMF. TMC will also provide sufficient liquidity for TMF’s guarantee obligations. The guarantee made by TMF is governed by the Dutch law and is unconditional and irrevocable. It provides for punctual payment to the debenture holders of all sums payable by TLT. For the guarantee of both medium- and short-term debenture programs, the obligations of TMF rank at least pari passu with all other present and future unsecured and unsubordinated indebtedness of TMF. The guarantee cannot be amended or terminated without the consent of both the debenture holders’ representative and the Guarantor, and the consent of the debenture holders’ representative is contingent upon a majority vote of the debenture holders.
The Guarantor will not be under any obligation to make payment for the Issuer’s failure to pay as a result of any of the following actions by any Thai government agency: (1) interruption of payment by causing Issuer to be unable to transfer monies or to convert foreign currency to the Registrar or debenture holders to pay debt obligations; (2) causing the transfer of majority shareholding in, or control over, the Issuer to a third-party not associated with the Toyota Group; (3) expropriation or nationalization of at least 10% of the net value of hire-purchase receivables of the Issuer and its subsidiaries; (4) expropriation or nationalization that has the effect of preventing the Issuer and its subsidiaries from carrying on business. TRIS Rating believes that the above events are highly unlikely to occur.
The “stable” outlook reflects the creditworthiness of TLT’s ultimate parent, TMC. TMC’s ability to maintain its strong position in major markets has been supported by its extensive geographic and product diversification. TMC’s financial profile in FY2009 continues to be pressured by a sharp drop in automobile demand in the US and Europe. On 6 February 2009, TMC’s ratings were downgraded by S&P to “AA+/Negative” from “AAA/Negative”, and by Moody’s to “Aa1/Negative” from “Aaa/Negative”. However, TMC still has a relatively strong credit profile when compared with the “AAA” rating in TRIS Rating’s portfolio. — End