Ben Schlimme is the Executive Program Manager with Toyota’s Advanced Planning & Research Department (APR) at Toyota Technical Center (TTC), Toyota’s North American R&D center, a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America, Inc. (TEMA).
Mr. Schlimme’s responsibilities include development of Toyota’s North American Powertrain and CAFE(Corporate Average Fuel Economy regulation) Strategy within R&D as well as overseeing their powertrain research.
Mr. Schlimme began his career at Toyota in 1991, when he joined Toyota Motor Sales in their Finance Division responsible for daily cash management. From there he has held various positions including the launch of Lexus’s Certified Used Car Program, Lexus Product Planning and Toyota Truck Product Planning. In 1997 Mr. Schlimme joined Toyota Technical Center to support the development of the first V8 truck engine. In this role he was responsible for ensuring the calibration and tuning met North American market needs. In 2003 he was promoted to lead their Powertrain Planning function which he grew into to the development of Advanced Planning & Research Department in 2013.
Mr. Schlimme earned a Bachelor of Science degree in International Finance from the University of Southern California in 1991.
Mr. Schlimme lives in Manhattan Beach, California with his wife and twin boys. He has a life-long passion for off-road racing which he tries to squeeze in with his family and career. He enjoys spending time with his family, in Baja Mexico and the deserts and beaches of Southern California.