Toyota/Lexus News May 20, 2016

Here is a the weekly recap of Toyota/Lexus news for May 20, 2016.

Toyota, Lexus News Recap – May 20, 2016

Toyota Motor Corporation is proud to announce that the cumulative figures for global sales of its hybrid vehicles reached 9.014 million units as of April 30, surpassing the 9 million unit mark. This latest million-unit milestone was achieved in just nine months.

https://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/detail/12077091/

Toyota Mobility Foundation Joins New Cities Foundation as Global Strategic Member

The New Cities Foundation has welcomed the Toyota Mobility Foundation as its latest Global Strategic Member. The partnership between the two organizations aims to activate the next generation of urban mobility solutions. Innovation is transforming mobility. Transportation is becoming faster, cleaner, smarter and more inter-connected, with cities at the forefront of this change. The Toyota Mobility Foundation and the New Cities Foundation are already discussing a number of substantial research projects and initiatives in the urban mobility area.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-mobility-foundation-new-cities-global-member.htm

Jim Lentz talks leadership and life as a CEO

Toyota Motor North America Jim Lentz shares what the life of a CEO is really like and how you get there.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/jim-lentz-ceo-day-life.htm

Win at Olympus Marks Back-to-Back Victories for Toyota RAV4

This past weekend at the Olympus Rally in the deep forest of Shelton,Wash., Ryan Millen and the Toyota RAV4 SE put another exclamation point on their season, winning the 2WD Class with ease, and finishing ahead of all but four 4WD competitors.  The class win was punctuated by a gap of over five minutes ahead of their nearest in-class competitor.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-rav4-rally-olympus-win-2016.htm

The All-New Prius Lights Up People En Español‘s Annual Los 50 Mas Bellos

The all-new Toyota Prius lit up the world’s most beautiful and famous Latino celebrities on the red carpet during People en Español’s 20th annual Los 50 Mas Bellos event, held at the trendy New York City venue Espace.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/people-espanol-50-mas-bellos-2016.htm

Toyota Financial Services Supports Environmental Sustainability by Expanding Green Bond Program

Demonstrating an ongoing commitment to supporting the sale of green vehicles, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) issued its third Asset-Backed Green Bond in the amount of $1.6 billion.  TFS revolutionized the Green Bond market by introducing the auto industry’s first-ever Asset-Backed Green Bond in 2014. Green Bonds are an important component of TFS’ broad-ranging funding program and serve to enhance Toyota’s already extensive green commitment. Proceeds of the TFS Green Bond will be used to fund new retail finance contracts and lease contracts for Toyota and Lexus vehicles that meet specific criteria, including powertrain, fuel efficiency and emissions. There are currently eight vehicle models in the Toyota and Lexus portfolio that qualify.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/tfs-environmental-green-bond-expansion-may13.htm

Toyota Named New Official Special Olympics Texas Partner

Special Olympics Texas (SOTX) officially announced Toyota as its newest Official Partner, making the automaker a year-round statewide $250,000-level co-sponsor of the 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. SOTX provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for more than 55,200 children and adults with intellectual disabilities in the state of Texas.

https://pressroom.toyota.com/releases/toyota-sotx-partner-may17.htm

Also worth noting…

• Toyota is most supplier-friendly automaker – Once again automotive suppliers chose Toyota as their favorite manufacturer to work with. This comes from the annual supplier study conducted by Planning Perspectives, a Michigan firm focusing on the auto industry’s supplier relations. Toyota scored an industry-leading 332 on the survey of suppliers. Toyota has topped the survey, which gages supplier feelings toward manufacturers in a variety of categories, every year since 2010.  “We are committed to strengthening our collaboration with our partners to deliver mutually beneficial, innovative solutions to our customers,” said Bob Young, senior vice president for purchasing with Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing of North America.https://www.ppi1.com/services/annual-automotive-industry-study/
• Update on Toyota’s Production in Japan – From May 23 through 28, Toyota will continue production on all vehicle assembly lines in Japan. Decisions regarding production after May 28 will continue to be based on a thorough assessment of the parts supply situation. This is a result of parts shortages from the severe earthquakes that struck Japan’s island of Kyushu last month. https://newsroom.toyota.co.jp/en/detail/12076814/