Toyota and Tesla partner to create eletric vehicles

Late last week Toyota and Tesla made a huge announcement that the two companies are partnering up to build electric vehicles. Obviously, it has left the auto industry buzzing.

Tesla Motors, which was founded by PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, specializes in producing and designing electric vehicles. With Toyota’s substantial investment in Tesla, they will help to create innovative new vehicles.

This exciting partnership is aimed at creating electric vehicles for the mass market. These cars will not only revolutionize driving, but provide for a cleaner driving experience.

Production of the Model S will begin in 2012 at Nummi, the plant that had been a joint venture of Toyota and General Motors. Tesla said production of the Model S would occupy only a small part of the factory.

“The new Tesla factory will give us plenty of room to grow,” said Musk, chief executive of Tesla.

Click for a look at the full press conference on the big announcement.

Something to be said about loyalty

Despite all the news reports over the course of the last few months, existing Toyota customers still firmly believe in the brand.

There is no better evidence of this than in a recent report from auto information company Edmunds.com that nearly 58 percent of the buyers trading in a Toyota, stuck with the brand when they purchased a new vehicle in the first quarter.

That was tops of all cars. Next best was Ford with 56 percent of Ford trade-ins resulting in the purchase of a new Ford.

Overall, Hyundai was third with just less than 56 percent of its owners coming back for another.

Among domestic brands, Chevrolet was second at 45 percent and Dodge third at 38 percent.

At Cecil Atkission Toyota of Orange, we couldn't agree more with the results as we've seen similar trade-in scenarios play out at our dealership on a regular basis. To all our customers, we say THANK YOU!

Toyota employee writes powerful book

For years, many potential car buyers have thought of Toyota as a foreign company. And that reason alone has discouraged them from buying from the vehicle manufacturer.

For Tim Turner, an employee of Toyota's assembly plant in Georgetown, Kentucky, he had heard the same response from friends, family, and anyone else who would listen for years. "Toyota is a foreign company." In addition, in recent years, he saw the news reports not speaking highly of his employer. Turner wondered what he could do to change the impression of Americans.

Eventually, he decided to take action in a less-than-conventional way. He wrote a book.

Turner's book, One Team on All Levels: The Story of the Toyota Team Members is available at Amazon.com and is not so much a first-person account from Turner, but rather a compilation of stories from some of the several thousand workers at the Kentucky plant, Toyota's largest in North America.

Some of the stories bring tears, while others make you laugh.

Read more.

Toyota - More Than Just Selling Vehicles

Toyota is continuing its legacy of promoting environmental education in schools and communities through the Toyota International Teacher Program. Twenty-six U.S. teachers will travel to Costa Rica from June 18 – July 3, 2010 to study global conservation issues with the goal of educating and inspiring their students about the importance of environmental stewardship. Since its inception 12 years ago, more than 600 teachers nationwide have traveled to Costa Rica, Galapagos and Japan through the program.

"Toyota believes it's critical for educators to understand the complexities surrounding today's global environmental issues. The more we learn about the world at large, the better we take care of own communities,” said Michael Rouse, vice president of philanthropy, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. (TMS). “Through this program, U.S. teachers have the unique opportunity to discuss ideas, share best practices, and confront the difficult challenges of sustainability with teachers and experts from other countries. Together, they connect concepts and create a virtual classroom."

Read more.

Toyota Significantly Expands Number of Event Data Recorder Readout Devices in North America

Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc., recently announced it has expanded the number of Event Data Recorder (EDR) readout devices in North America and the U.S. territories to 150 and is actively training internal and field staff on their use.

An EDR records specific vehicle information in the event of air bag deployment or sufficient impact, and this data is intended to help understand how a vehicle's various systems functioned in a crash. The new readout units, along with other vehicle diagnostic tools, will be used to assist in accident investigations and, where appropriate, the evaluation of reports of unintended acceleration where there was impact or vehicle damage.

Read more.

Toyota Tundra takes on Texas terrain

West Texas can present a variety of challenges for any vehicle including difficult-to-navigate terrain, dusty conditions, rough roads, and dramatically changing weather. Add in a ranch where you'll be towing loads of cattle and doing it for 100,000 miles and you should expect to encounter more than a few issues, at the very least, a few repairs.

Not on the Toyota Tundra. Check out this great testimonial.

http://behindthewheelnews.toyota.com/?id=293&by=&fTrk=Default

Design Your Own NASCAR Vehicle

Have you seen the "Design It. Enter It." commercials for Toyota with Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin?

Here's a link to the commercials.

The best part is actually designing your own NASCAR vehicle.

Here's where you can do that.
http://www.sponsafier.com/

Have fun!

Name, trust and recognition go a long way

Despite recent news reports, Toyota customers remain loyal to a brand that they have trusted for years. This unshaken brand loyalty combined with great offerings has resulted in high sales in recent months.

http://www.8newsnow.com/Global/story.asp?S=12313114

It's Not Just a Rental...It's a Toyota

Next time you take a trip and arrive in your destination city, instead of waiting in long lines at the airport or even worse, not being able to get the right size car that fits the needs of your entire family, you might want to call the local Toyota dealership.

Available exclusively through participating Toyota dealers, Toyota Rent a Car utilizes only the latest model Toyota vehicles, making it a superior rental experience. Whether your rental needs are for pleasure, business or special events, Toyota Rent a Car provides the legendary quality available only at Toyota.

Cecil Atkission Toyota is participating in this program and can offer:

2010 Toyota Camry
$40.00 per day
Contact: Service Dept. @ 409-883-8451 ext. 152

Read more.

It’s Business as Usual at Auto Show

Toyota’s display at the New York International Auto Show last week was a vision of normalcy.

The newest version of the Sienna minivan sat in the middle. Behind it, a giant video screen featured clips showing a perky mom, dad and workers from Toyota’s Princeton, Ind., factory, where the Sienna is made.

Nearby, the hybrid-electric Prius sat beneath soaring nature photos meant to emphasize its eco-friendliness, including bucolic shots of Canada geese in flight.

Read more.

The Toyota Investigations - What Are They Likely to Find?

While there's been much discussed and reported in the news lately about concerns with unexpected acceleration in Toyotas, Rick Newman of U.S. News and World Report has an interesting story on the subject and his thoughts on what will likely come out of the current investigations into the matter.

Read more.

Toyota (Hamlin, Logano) Finishes 1-2 at Martinsville Sprint Cup Race

Denny Hamlin surged to the front after a blunder and won the rain-delayed NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway in a wild finish.

The victory was Hamlin's second straight and came on the shortest, oldest track in the Sprint Cup Series.

Hamlin gave up the lead with less than 10 laps left Monday when he headed to pit road for tires. He then rallied from ninth place to the lead in a span of just four laps.

"That's hard to do. I had to bully my way through there towards the end, but everybody was just running into everyone," Hamlin said. "I flattened my tired with Kenseth going down the backstretch and just somehow made it work."

To read more: Hamlin wins second straight race

New 2011 Toyota Sienna Commercials

The new 2011 Toyota Sienna is available at Cecil Atkission Toyota of Orange. This new vehicle will get high marks as it has a lot of great new features including flexible seating options, an overall revamped look, and the simple fact that the Sienna is still the only minivan on the market with an all-wheel-drive option.

We're also pretty sure the vehicle's commercials will get high marks as the new spots recently started airing on television. But you don't have to wait to see them. In fact, we've loaded all of them on our Facebook page. (facebook.com/ceciltoyota). Click on the 2011 Sienna tab. Enjoy!

Social Media Campaign managed by Spredfast

2010 Toyota 4Runner Earns High Marks in Crash Tests

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) today announced that the all-new Toyota 4Runner mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) has earned its highest ranking of “good” in their frontal offset high-speed crash ratings.

Toyota Vehicles: All-New 2010 Toyota 4Runner Earns Highest Frontal Crash Test Rating from IIHS