Toyota, Lexus News Recap – April 15, 2016
Tim Esterdahl | Apr 15, 2016 | Comments 3
Dear Readers of THQ – every week we get an email news recap of all the items from Toyota and Lexus. Historically, we have cherry picked these items to only include truck stories, however, we wonder if you would like the full recap of all the items as well. See below for the recap and let us know in the comments your thoughts.
Toyota, Lexus News Recap – April 15, 2016
Toyota Helps Turn Ann Arbor into World’s Largest Connected Car Proving Ground; Partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
On the heels of last week’s announcement that Toyota is putting more boots on the ground in Ann Arbor to study fully autonomous driving and advanced mobility, Toyota also will be deploying cars on the road for real world testing. Toyota, in partnership with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), is transforming the streets of Ann Arbor, Mich. into the world’s largest operational, real-world deployment of connected vehicles and infrastructure.
Lexus Sells 1 Millionth Hybrid
Lexus International announced it has sold over 1 million hybrid vehicles since the world’s first luxury hybrid vehicle, the RX 400h, went on sale in April 2005. To commemorate this milestone, a new NX 300h was delivered to a Lexus customer in Milan, Italy, by Alain Uyttenhoven, head of Lexus Europe.
https://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/lexus+million+hybrids.htm?view_id=43431
EPA Recognizes Toyota as Environmental Leader for 12th Consecutive Year
Since 2002, Toyota has saved over 16 billion kilowatt hours of electricity. That is the equivalent of powering 995,000 average American homes for an entire year. Saving that much energy across Toyota’s 14 North American manufacturing facilities could not have been possible without the individual efforts of team members to reduce energy use in their processes and work areas. Their efforts have enabled Toyota to earn its twelfth consecutive U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Energy Star Partner of the Year Award.
Toyota and Clemson Partner to Unveil Gen-Z Focused Concept
Most of Toyota’s North American vehicles are engineered in Southeast Michigan. The newest concept to wear the automaker’s famous badge, however, has its roots firmly planted in the red clay of South Carolina. Designed, engineered and hand-built by graduate students at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR), the vehicle is the result of a two-year collaboration with Toyota Motor North America designers and engineers. The result is an innovative, flexible concept called uBox that is intended to appeal to the next generation of car buyers: Gen-Z.
Toyota Prius c is the new Geekmobile of Best Buy’s Geek Squad
An armada of agents is about to roll out in Toyota Prius c. Their mission: to help people across America get the most from their technology. Best Buy’s Geek Squad has begun dispatching more than 1,000 of the vehicles – fully decked out as the new Geekmobile – nationwide.
https://toyotanews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/vehicle+geeks+prius+c+best+buy.htm?view_id=43431
2016 Lexus RX Named to Ward’s ’10 Best Interiors’ List
Ward’s announced that the all-new 2016 Lexus RX has earned a spot on its highly regarded annual “10 Best Interiors” list. To be eligible for the list, vehicles must have interiors that are all-new or significantly redesigned for the U.S. market, and are evaluated on materials, ergonomics, safety, comfort, value and fit-and-finish.
https://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/2016-lexus-rx-wards-best-interiors.htm?view_id=43431
New Telematics Car Insurance Services Company to be Launched in U.S.
Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd. (AD), Toyota Financial Services Corporation (TFS) and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced that their respective U.S. subsidiaries established the jointly owned telematics car insurance services company Toyota Insurance Management Solutions USA, LLC (TIMS), on April 1. TIMS will support the development of telematics car insurance services for Toyota customers, as well as new experiences aimed at more fully satisfying customers by working in unison with dealers and distributors.
https://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/detail/11775458/
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) Completes Largest Ever Corporate Diversity & Inclusion Bond Offering; New Offering of $1.25 Billion Promotes Diversity on Wall Street
Toyota Financial Services (TFS) completed its fourth Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Bond Offering in the amount of $1.25 billion, setting a record for the largest corporate bond offering in which D&I firms play a lead role. Enabling diversity firms to strengthen their experience working on high profile deals, this Diversity & Inclusion Bond not only serves as an integral component of Toyota’s comprehensive funding program, but also enhances Toyota’s platform for diversity by placing a spotlight on high-quality Minority and Women Business Enterprises (MWBE). This fourth D&I Bond utilizes a different structure, which pairs two-year fixed and floating rate D&I bonds with a five-year global bond to help drive broader demand, enabling TFS to complete the largest minority- and women-owned corporate bond offreing to date.
Toyota Motor N.A. Gives $1 Million Gift to SAE International’s AWIM ‘LearnTwice’ STEM Initiatives; Strengthens the AWIM STEM experience into K-8 classrooms where Toyota team members live and work.
Toyota Motor North America (TMNA) announced a gift of $1 million to strengthen and expand access to “A World in Motion,” (AWIM), the Society of Automotive Engineers’ high-quality science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education program. Toyota’s investment also supports the AWIM “LearnTwice” initiative” by creating a pathway for university students to participate in AWIM classrooms throughout the U.S.
https://corporatenews.pressroom.toyota.com/releases/tmna-million-gift-sae-april14.htm?view_id=43431
Lexus RC F GT Concept to Appear at Long Beach
Lexus will have a special RC F racecar on-track between races at the 42nd Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach this weekend. The RC F GT Concept is a track car positioned between a street-legal RC F production car and the full-bore RC F GT3 racecar that will soon compete in IMSA’s WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. The GT Concept was developed in parallel with the RC F production car by the Lexus Development Center in Japan with support from the Lexus International Motorsports Group. The car appearing at Long Beach is a further development of the RC F GT Concept that Justin Bell drove to 5th place in the Time Attack class at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in June 2015.
https://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/lexus-rc-f-gt-concept-long-beach-2016.htm?view_id=43431
Building Lexus: A Sensory Story (Video)
With thousands of nerve endings per square centimeter, the human hand is a remarkable tool, even in a facility with the most advanced car-building technology in the world. To further touch on this notion, watch Lexus Takumi training ideology in action.
Watch the video: https://pressroom.lexus.com/releases/building+lexus+story.htm?view_id=43431
Toyota and Discovery Education Announce Finalists in the Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge; Teen Filmmakers Address Driving Safety
Teen filmmakers across the country are using their position behind the camera to encourage safer behavior behind the wheel. Toyota and Discovery Education announced the ten finalists of the Toyota TeenDrive365 Video Challenge. Now in its fifth year, the Challenge invites teens to create short videos to inspire their peers to drive more safely and avoid risky behavior. This year, more than 1,500 students entered the competition – the highest number of submissions ever received.
Lexus and Scholastic Announce Final Winners of the 2015-2016 Lexus Eco Challenge
Who knew hormones and slimy green algae would help boost teens’ interest in science, technology, engineering and math, and win scholarship money? Students across the nation are taking charge, learning about their environment, and making a positive impact on the world. Using their knowledge and studies, students, teachers, and schools are being rewarded with $500,000 in scholarships and grants through the Lexus Eco Challenge. The Lexus Eco Challenge is an educational program and contest that inspires and empowers young people to learn about the environment and take action to improve it. High school and middle school teams nationwide define an environmental issue that is important to them, develop an action plan to address the issue, implement the plan, and report on the results.
Also worth noting…
Toyota Prius and Avalon Awarded 5-Star Overall Rating in NHTSA Crash Tests
The 2016 Prius and 2016 Avalon have received a 5-Star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the highest grade given by the agency. NHTSA measures vehicle performance in frontal, side and rollover crashes as part of its New Car Assessment Program. These ratings apply to all MY2016 Prius vehicles built after April 4, 2016; and to all MY2016 Avalon and Avalon Hybrid vehicles built after April 7, 2016.
To learn more about NHTSA’s assessment of the Prius click here.
To learn more about NHTSA’s assessment of the Avalon click here.
Filed Under: Auto News
Wow, there is a tremendous amount of material there. Toyota is active in many areas; much with the goal of improving automotive technology.
All car companies have significant weaknesses in Quality Control regarding automotive electronics. Toyota has done better than most; but consumers need and want higher quality still.
Electronic QC goals are lacking. Hopefully there will new methods of delivery to the consumers to get corrections made. Arriving at solutions to customers in a timely manner seems to be the single largest negative on the latest technologies. Yes, Toyota needs significant improvements there as well. Some car companies ignore QC on electronics completely.
It is good to know what Toyota is doing across the entire lineup. It lets us know what Toyota “could” do with the Tundra, now if they will start doing it.
The fact of the matter is, Toyota has problems just like every other manufacturer…
To THQ: If you would like to question me about my Toyota ownership experience, feel free to email me your questions and I’ll honestly answer them.