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