July 20, 2011

Toyota has a lot to be proud of when it comes to having the strongest dealer network, associates and partners who will step up to any challenge.  Nowhere has that been more apparent than in the aftermath of the tragic Japan Earthquake/Tsunami of March 2011.  

Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers quickly took up the cause creating the Hope for Japan relief effort for the Canadian Red Cross.  Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) and Toyota Financial Services (TFS) associates also offered their support immediately following the news of the disaster, asking how they could help; and, they eagerly responded to the TCI and TFS associate donation matching program.  Our partners and suppliers were also asking us about our friends and colleagues in Japan, offering their support.  

Together, our dealers and associates were able to raise over $270,000 in donations to the Canadian Red Cross via the Hope for Japan relief effort.  The Walker Group, manufacturers and service partners of the Toyota Touch, Lexus Reflections and Toyota/Lexus Road Hazard Programs also came through on their pledge to donate 5% of their gross product sales over 60 days to the Hope for Japan Relief Fund, raising almost $10,000 toward the cause.  Collectively, we have raised over $280,000 in donations.

"We would like to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts, support and donations in helping to make the transition back to normal life in Japan an easier one," stated Yoichi Tomihara, President and CEO, Toyota Canada Inc.

Attached you will find some examples of how your efforts and donations to the Red Cross are making a difference in Japan.

Geneva 2011: Toyota Prius+ sips fuel with room for seven 

As the second size extension of the Toyota Prius family tree, the 2012 Prius+ adds a healthy dose of roominess to the well-known fuel-sipping hybrid equation, and it's making its world debut at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. There's seating for seven occupants inside, but the multi-purpose vehicle shares a clear design language with Toyota's standard-bearing Prius. What's more, it manages a low 0.29 drag coefficient thanks to its extended roofline and carefully designed front fascia.

Equally as notable is the battery. This is the first lithium-ion battery pack to be incorporated within a non-plug-in Toyota full hybrid. Toyota has found enough room underneath the center console between the driver and the front passenger to fit the battery, which helps maximize interior space for occupants and their cargo.

As you would expect from a Prius, there are three drive modes: A zero-emission EV mode that relies on electric motor power alone, an ECO mode that maximizes efficiency and fuel economy and finally a somewhat ambitiously named POWER mode that is said to boost overall performance.

Toyota is saying that the Prius+ will be on sale in Europe in the first half of 2012, but it's coming to the U.S. around the same time in the form of the Prius V, which we previously saw at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show. Check out the complete press release after the break and be sure to check out our high-res image gallery of live photos below.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/01/toyota-prius-plus-geneva-2011/

 
Toyota: The Media Owe You an Apology

-          Media Outlets Share the Blame

Every year in America tens of thousands of individuals die in automotive accidents, while hundreds of thousands are injured. In my youth I was in more than my fair share. I'm fortunate that no one was ever hurt or killed, because I see now that I caused most of those accidents. Not that they were my fault, per se; they happened because I didn't anticipate the other drivers' mistakes and I cut the margin for error far too thin.

Not once did the vehicle I was driving do anything but what it was supposed to do, and it was always under my control. In those cases I failed as a driver. That's a lesson the media need to learn: Driver error causes the vast majority of accidents. And you don't have to be drunk to contribute to the accident.

I don't mean to single out CBS for criticism. Plenty of other media outlets share the blame. For 30 years they have treated us to Jeep, Suzuki, and Isuzu Trooper rollovers, Audi unintended acceleration, side-saddle gas tanks exploding, police cars catching on fire, Firestone tires blowing out, and then the Toyota case. And each time the media took the word of those with a vested financial interest in the outcome?and every time they got burned for doing so.

The first job of a journalist is to ask, "Is this information true?" It's obvious that when it comes to automobiles, that's the last question the broadcast media want answered

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/feb2011/bw20110210_848076_page_3.htm

Toyota FT-86 coupe to be named Scion FT-S?

We know the Toyota rear-wheel-drive coupe will wear a Scion badge, and now we might finally know what it's going to be called. The just-make-it-already Toyota FT-86 concept has evolved into the Scion FT-86 and word on the web is that the production version will be known as the Scion FT-S.

Look for the Scion FT-S coupe to make its debut at the 2011 New York Auto Show. Rumor has it that a 2.5-liter engine, not a 2.0-liter, will power the rear wheels and that Toyota plans a heavy marketing push aimed at the drifting crowd.

The Subaru version is slated for a Geneva debut, and the rumormill now suggests that all-wheel drive is planned for the Subaru coupe, which should easily differentiate it from the Scion FT-S and help keep the two cars from cannibalizing each other's sales. If anyone's listening, we'll take an AWD Subaru coupe in full STI trim, please.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/02/12/report-toyota-rwd-coupe-to-be-named-scion-ft-s/