Despite Competition, Toyota Still Green Leader

Toyota has held the green-car crown ever since the first Prius rolled off assembly lines in 1997, but rivals, armed with an electric quiver, are mounting a legitimate challenge. The crown, without question, is still Toyota's to lose, especially considering the iffy prospects of a significant demand spike in battery-powered vehicles, although the competition is giving it a shot. However, according to The Detroit News, electric cars, while stealing plenty of headlines, will remain nothing more than a niche for the foreseeable future. Lack of punch, loftier price tags, and "range anxiety" will combine to keep a lid on sales. In fact, J.D. Power projects that electric cars won't crack 1 percent of the overall market before 2020. Meanwhile, hybrids are expected to continue their climb. Hybrids comprised just 2.4 percent of the overall pie in 2010, and that number is seen reaching almost 10 percent by the end of the decade. Toyota still sells about half of every hybrid vehicle on the road. The strategy of building out the Prius family will only help secure that lead. Click here to check out new Prius models unveiled at this month's Detroit Auto Show. For more on green vehicles and how Toyota is maintaining its edge, click here.

Toyota Launches New Collaborative Safety Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Toyota announced today (Sunday) that it is launching a new, advanced safety research center that will collaborate with leading North American universities, hospitals, research institutions, federal agencies and other organizations on projects aimed at reducing the number of traffic fatalities and injuries on America?s roads.

  

Toyota's new Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) will be based at the Toyota Technical Center (TTC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan and will involve Toyota researchers and engineers from North America and Japan.

  The new initiative builds on Toyota's ongoing commitment to safety and quality leadership.  The company estimates that it will commit approximately $50 million over the next five years to fund CSRC.

The collaborative research will pursue integrated ways to enhance safety, involving the vehicle, driver and traffic environment.

  Initial areas of focus will include reducing the risk of driver distraction a growing cause of accidents and helping to protect the most vulnerable traffic populations, including children, teens and seniors.  These populations account for approximately 30% of U.S. traffic fatalities.  

In addition, CSRC will conduct in-depth analyses of available accident and human behavior data to support stakeholders efforts to evaluate and speed deployment of active safety systems.

  

The University of Michigan, Virginia Tech and The Children?s Hospital of Philadelphia Research Institute will be charter partners in the new Collaborative Safety Research Center.

  Toyota will also reach out broadly to other universities, hospitals and research institutions in North America to invite proposals for research into advanced automotive safety.  

Toyota Technical Center (TTC), a division of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America, is the research and development arm of Toyota in North America.

  TTC is responsible for engineering design, vehicle development, safety and performance evaluation, regulatory affairs and advanced technical research in North America for Toyota and Lexus vehicles assembled or sold here.  TTC has helped develop the Avalon, Camry, Sienna, Solara, Tundra and Venza vehicles for the North American market.  

 

To read the entire press release, visit //pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota-launches-new-collaborative-190251.aspx


Complimentary Maintenance Plans Now Standard on New Toyota and Scion Models
TORRANCE, Calif. (October 6, 2010) ? As an added value for customers, Toyota today announced that new Toyota and Scion vehicles
1 will now come standard with Toyota Care and Scion Service Boost . These two new plans offer complimentary normal factory-scheduled maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance for two years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first.
 
The two maintenance plans, which go into effect today, make Toyota the first full-line brand to offer a complimentary maintenance plan standard on new Toyota vehicles within its line-up. The brand began offering complimentary maintenance plans this spring as part of its seasonal sales programs. Due to the favorable response from customers, including 73-percent who said it improved their confidence in Toyota, both plans are now standard on new-vehicle purchases across the Toyota and Scion line-up.
 
?The two complimentary maintenance plans were developed to help improve overall cost of ownership and provide invaluable peace of mind for our customers,? said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager. ?The new programs were inspired by owner feedback and once again reflect how Toyota listens to its customers.?
 
Both maintenance plans cover all normal factory-recommended maintenance services outlined in each vehicle?s owners manual, which includes oil and filter changes, tire rotations, lubrication of key chassis parts/components, a 19-point inspection and 24-hour roadside assistance (lockout protection, flat tires, towing, jump starts, etc.). Additional details will be available through Toyota & Scion dealers. 
 
The Toyota Care program will be supported by an ad campaign from Toyota?s advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. The television ads begin airing nationally today, with the campaign extending to print, outdoor, online and digital later in the month. The message emphasizes peace of mind and worry-free maintenance.
 
Scion Service Boost will be supported through a variety of marketing and media outlets through Scion?s marketing partners.
 
 1 Covers factory scheduled service. Plan is 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first. The new Toyota vehicle cannot be part of a rental or commercial fleet or a livery or taxi vehicle. See plan for complete coverage details. See participating Toyota dealer for details.
 
# # #
 
NOTE TO EDITORS: Photos of Toyota and Scion models are available for editorial use only by the news media in digital form without charge at //www.toyotanewsroom.com.
 
 
CONTACTS: 
Toyota Division Communications:
Greg Thome(310) 468-3279 or greg_thome@toyota.com
Sam Butto(310) 468-7728 or sam_butto@toyota.com
 
Scion Public Relations:
Craig Taguchi(310) 468-3282 or craig_taguchi@scion.com
 
 
Media Web sites:
 
Public Web sites:

Toyota Statement in Response to NHTSA/NASA Study

In response to the publication by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of an extensive review of the electronic throttle control systems in Toyota and Lexus vehicles, conducted with the assistance of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s Chief Quality Officer for North America, said:
 
“Toyota welcomes the findings of NASA and NHTSA regarding our Electronic Throttle Control System with intelligence (ETCS-i) and we appreciate the thoroughness of their review.  We believe this rigorous scientific analysis by some of America's foremost engineers should further reinforce confidence in the safety of Toyota and Lexus vehicles.  We hope this important study will help put to rest unsupported speculation about Toyota's ETCS-i, which is well-designed and well-tested to ensure that a real world, un-commanded acceleration of the vehicle cannot occur. 
 
“We will continue to develop and equip Toyota and Lexus vehicles with industry-leading safety technologies, including many based on breakthroughs in sophisticated electronics systems.  We will also continue to cooperate fully with NHTSA and respected outside experts in order to help ensure that our customers have the utmost confidence in the safety and reliability of our vehicles.  Everyone at Toyota – all 30,000 of our team members in the United States and the many thousands of Americans at our dealers and suppliers across the country – is focused on listening to our customers and constantly improving our products and service.”
 
Regarding the safety and reliability of Toyota vehicles with ETCS-i, the company also noted:
•    Electronic throttle control systems have long been standard across the automobile industry, and they provide great benefits to consumers. 
•    Toyota’s ETCS-i has performed reliably in more than 40 million cars and trucks sold around the world, including more than 16 million in the United States. 
•    This system has also made possible significant safety advances such as vehicle stability control and traction control, which are among the five sophisticated accident avoidance technologies in Toyota’s Star Safety System.
•    These enhancements, along with Toyota’s Smart Stop Technology braking system, are now standard on all the new vehicles Toyota manufactures for the North American market.

2010 Results: Toyota #1 in Retail Sales, Lexus #1 in Luxury Market, Scion Youngest Brand

While Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) today reported annual sales of 1,763,595 vehicles that were flat compared to CY 2009 on a daily selling rate basis, Toyota retained the retail sales crown, Lexus remained the luxury sales leader and Scion was the youngest brand in the industry, with a median age of 29.

??New Years is typically a time for reflection and anticipation and that?s never been more true for us at Toyota Motor Sales,? said Don Esmond, senior vice president of Automotive Operations, during a conference call with journalists.  ?We?re coming off what was arguably the most challenging time in our 53-year history. And I know I?ve never headed into a new year with as much excitement and anticipation as we are headed into 2011.?

?Now I know the common perception is that Toyota has been reeling this year as a result of those recalls,? he added.  ?But, in fact, the final results include some remarkable accomplishments any company would love to report.?

In addition to winning the sales titles, Esmond noted that Camry was the best-selling passenger car in America for the ninth time, and Corolla, Tacoma and the Lexus RX all repeated as segment sales leaders.

Toyota also was the industry leader in certified used vehicle sales, setting a new company record of more than 315,000 and a single-year industry record as well.

Looking ahead, the company is forecasting an industry sales increase of about one million units to 12.5 million in 2011 and 13.7 in 2012.  ?And at Toyota, we expect to outperform the industry,? said Esmond. He cited the loyalty of Toyota owners to the brand, the return of strong conquest numbers on trade-ins (55-58 percent), consumer perceptions of quality and value, and the introduction of several new products.

?And that?s just the start,? he continued, noting that 2011 will bring a new member of the Prius family, the new Scion iQ, the new Lexus CT 200h hybrid and the introduction of the Toyota Entune System.

To read the press release posted on the Toyota USA Newsroom, please click on
//pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/toyota-reports-december-and-2010-190021.aspx

Toyota Dominates Forbes List of Most Reliable Vehicles

Five Toyota and Lexus vehicles made Forbes list of 10 Cars That Will Make It Past 200,000 Miles. The five are: Toyota's Yaris, Sienna, FJ Cruiser and Tundra (V-6) and the Lexus LX.  Thats half of the entire list.  No other brand came close to that. Rounding out the list were Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Flex, Honda CR-V, Acura RL and Porsche Boxster.

To read the Forbes story, please click on
//www.forbes.com/2010/12/08/most-reliable-cars-2010-business-autos-reliable-cars.html



Toyota, Lexus Brands Rank High on Customer Retention

Three out of five Toyota and Lexus owners remain loyal to the brand when they buy a new vehicle, according to the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Retention Study released on Dec. 9.  Despite news this year about recalls, the Detroit News reported that Toyota and Lexus each maintained strong loyalty rates of 60 percent.  That put Toyota and Lexus in a three-way tie with Hyundai for third place, and just two percentage points behind the leaders. Ford and Honda tied for first with 62 percent.

The study was conducted between February and May, and August and October 2010.

To read the Detroit News story, please click on
//detnews.com/article/20101209/AUTO01/12090465/Ford--Honda-top-customer-loyalty-survey



CNBC: Traders See Toyota Positioned for a Fantastic Turn Around.

CNBC.com quoted Fast Money traders Steve Cortes and Tim Seymour saying positive things about Toyota's future. The U.S. market is storming back and scores for Toyota here are going to be fantastic, said Seymour, founder of EmergingMoney.com. Lowest inventories ever. Highest miles driven and age of fleet than we've seen in a long time adds up for a fantastic turn around for Toyota. CNBC also quoted Cortes belief that Toyota makes better cars than the competition.

To read more, please click on //www.cnbc.com/id/40482182

_________________________________________________

Toyota is back on track to growth: Driven by high quality and fun-to-drive new products and a recovering economy, the Toyota Division and its dealers will continue to grow in the years ahead and will work hard to remain the number one retail brand in the industry.

        A strong lineup of all-new or updated products.  These new vehicles will focus on style and fun-to-drive attributes designed to spark renewed interest in Toyota by young drivers.  

        ?Toyota Care? will become standard equipment on all Toyota and Scion models.  In response to the overwhelmingly positive customer reaction to the two year/25,000 mile free maintenance program, ?Toyota Care? will immediately become standard equipment on all Toyota and Scion models with improvements that make it better for consumers and better for dealers.  Toyota is the first volume brand to offer this feature.  The highest quality cars on the road will now also have the lowest cost of ownership.  

        Our quality focus is stronger than ever.  Independent, third party tests continue to show that Toyota products lead the industry when it comes to quality, dependability and reliability.  

        We?re more committed than ever to North America.  Toyota will continue to strengthen its North America operations by investing more than one billion dollars on the new plant in Mississippi to increase Corolla production.  Truck production also has been increased. In addition TMC is committed to giving North America more autonomy and decision-making authority, including relying more heavily on local designers and engineers to tailor products for the North American market.

To read more about the "Toyota Care" program, please click on
//pressroom.toyota.com/pr/tms/complimentary-maintenance-plans-173070.aspx