Car manufacturer Toyota has opened its first visitor attraction in North America – the 44,000sq ft (13,400sq m) Toyota Experience Center (TEC) at its headquarters in Plano, Texas.

The company says the centre, which was planned, designed and project managed by JRA, is intended to educate visitors about Toyota's past, present and future as a mobility company. The centre features a variety of interactive exhibits and displays, all designed to reflect on the people behind the brand.

In the attraction, guests progress through a series of areas, starting with Customer Experience. They then go through the History and Heritage Gallery, which chronicles the arrival of the firm in North America and showcases 10 of its classic or innovative historic cars. Entering the Here and Now Gallery, visitors can see current production models of Toyota vehicles. This is followed by the Manufacturing Experience and then the Sales Experience, immersing visitors in Toyota's "continuous improvement" culture. Finally, visitors can explore the Innovation Space and Mobility Workshop experiences, the first of which displays a myriad of technological advances, while the second is a working laboratory for robotics aimed at helping people with a variety of tasks. Other special galleries include displays of motorsports vehicles and an exhibit on the Lexus brand.

"Many of those working on Toyota’s campus may not have the opportunity to see the whole picture and experience manufacturing or robotics," said JRA senior project director, Rob Morgan.

"The TEC gives them a place to come and see the various facets of this dynamic company and gives employees a sense of pride by reinforcing the notion that Toyota Motor North America cares as much about its people as it does about its products."