Toyota, Lexus News Recap May 6

A recap of all the Toyota and Lexus news for May 6, 2016.

Toyota, Lexus News Recap – May 22, 2016

Toyota is No. 1 Retail Brand in April 2016

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., reported April 2016 sales of 211,125 units, an increase of 3.8 percent from April 2015 on a volume basis. Lexus posted sales of 24,882 units, down 3.8 percent on a volume basis and 7.4 percent on a DSR basis.

Press Release: https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-lexus-scion-april-2016-sales-release.htm

Sales Chart: https://pressroom.toyota.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=5570

Toyota Scientists Make Breakthrough on Safer, Smarter Batteries

Thanks to the advanced battery research of scientists at the Toyota Research Institute of North America (TRINA), a new breakthrough involving magnesium batteries may soon open the doors for smaller, longer-lasting batteries for everything from cars to cell phones.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-scientists-breakthrough-safer-smarter-batteries.htm

Lexus RX Hybrid Named Green Vehicle of Texas at Texas Auto Writers Auto Roundup

At the Texas Auto Roundup in Fort Worth this week, the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) named the Lexus RX 450h the “2016 Green Vehicle of Texas.” Texas Auto Roundup took place May 1-3 at Texas Motor Speedway. More than 60 journalists test-drove and evaluated vehicles in 16 categories at the event.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/lexus-rx-hybrid-green-vehicle-tawa-2016.htm

Toyota’s ‘Más Que Un Auto’ Campaign Continues Providing Custom Badges to Car Lovers

Toyota owners can once again demonstrate affection for their Toyota vehicles through Más Que Un Auto (More Than A Car). The campaign lets them celebrate their car-love connection by ordering a personalized badge and sharing the story behind their car’s nickname. The most interesting stories will be featured in a collector’s item book later this year, becoming part of the brand’s history.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/more-than-just-car-150k-owners-toyota.htm

Toyota Gives $1 million Grant to Enhance Georgetown College STEM Scholarships

Toyota continues to invest in the people and institutions at the center of the industry’s future. The latest is a $1 million grant to Kentucky’s Georgetown College from Toyota Motor North America, Inc. The contribution will directly support education programs for students preparing for careers in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), with an emphasis on future educators who will teach in a STEM-focused field.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-million-stem-scholars-april29.htm

Toyota Teams with Whoopi Goldberg and ABC’s “The View” on Sienna Donation

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of an order of black nuns, Whoopi Goldberg and ABC’s “The View” teamed up with Toyota to present a new 2016 Toyota Sienna minivan to the 14 sisters from Harlem.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/view-nuns-toyota-sienna-may5.htm

Also worth noting…

• Toyota Motor Corporation to Report Year-end Financial Results on May 11 – On May 11, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) will webcast its financial results press conference for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016. The financial results themselves will be disclosed at 2:00am EDT/11:00pm PDT (May 10). The live webcast will run from 2:05am-2:45am EDT/11:05pm-11:45pm PDT (May 10) and will air on YouTube live at https://youtu.be/ozg7L9UZIws (Refresh the page at2:05am EDT on May 11 to view the embedded YouTube Live; if video does not appear, clear browser cache and try again). The video will be made available on demand shortly after the webcast.

• Consumer Reports says RAV4 Hybrid is the Most Fuel-Efficient SUV Ever Tested – According to CR: “At 31 mpg in our tests, the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has the best overall fuel economy of any SUV that doesn’t plug in. It returned 26 mpg city and 36 mpg highway—better than most midsized sedans.” CR goes on to say “…the RAV4 is one of the most reliable small SUVs you can buy. These upgrades keep it among the top-ranked models in its class.”

https://www.consumerreports.org/suvs/toyota-rav4-hybrid-proves-to-be-the-most-fuel-efficient-suv-ever/

• Toyota Australia Reveals “Shooting Brake” Concept Version of the 86 Sports Car – Toyota Australia has unveiled a global first – a dramatic new “Shooting Brake” concept version of the 86 sports car. The prototype was conceived and developed by Toyota Australia’s Product Design team and hand-built in Japan under the direction of the global sports car division. The Shooting Brake concept, which adds a more practical hatch styling to the rear of the sporty coupe, has been revealed to the world in Sydney by the Toyota 86 global chief engineer Tetsuya Tada.

https://toyota.pressroom.com.au/press_release_detail.asp?clientID=2&prID=9756&navSectionID=2

• Toyota Produces 10 Millionth Vehicle in Europe – Nearly 3 in 4 vehicles sold by Toyota in Europe are made in Europe. Last month, the nine manufacturing facilities operated by Toyota there collectively passed the milestone of 10 million vehicles produced.

https://newsroom.toyota.eu/pressrelease/5033/1/fantastic-10-million-cars-front-toyota