Toyota

Toyota Prius C first hybrid MSRP below $19,000

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 21:21:58 GMT

Toyota Prius C first hybrid MSRP below $19,000

What you're looking at is a new, smaller hybrid from Toyota, which is eagerly growing the Prius range from one four-door to include the Prius V (for Versatility), the Prius plug-in hybrid and this, the Prius C. It's both smaller and more affordable than the existing Prius range, while delivering superlative fuel economy figures. In fact, with a 50-mpg combined rating, the Prius C claims the best economy of any car this side of a plug-in EV.

Motivation is provided by a 1.5-liter four that, together with the electric motor, delivers up to 99 horsepower at peak (compared to the Prius liftback's 134hp). It's also more nimble than its bigger brother, and more affordable: when the Prius C reaches showrooms in the spring, it will wear a sticker price under $19,000.

PRESS RELEASE

Toyota Prius c Completes the Prius Family of Vehicles

• Highest rated city fuel economy of any vehicle without a plug
• Introduces proven hybrid powertrain at MSRP below $19,000
• Wide array of available convenience and premium technology

DETROIT , Michigan, Jan.10, 2012 – Following the U.S. debut of the all-new 2012 Prius c at the 2012 North American International Auto Show here, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., plans to bring this dynamically styled, five-door hatchback to market in March of 2012, and introduce Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive to the subcompact segment.

The letter "c" represents "city" in the Prius c name. Designed to function as an urban-friendly vehicle with an engaging driving experience, hatchback utility, and a city fuel economy rating of 53 mpg, Prius c offers the highest city mpg rating of any vehicle without a plug. The all-new Prius c joins the Prius Family, which includes the third generation Prius Liftback, the versatile new Prius v and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which will debut in early 2012.

Beginning with the first generation fourteen years ago, over two million Prius units have been sold worldwide. Prius remains the world's premier eco-vehicle brand, and has made great strides establishing consumer trust in hybrid technology. With Prius c, Toyota will make the market's most proven hybrid technology available to subcompact car shoppers with a starting MSRP below $19,000.

Unique Place in the Prius Family
A gateway product into the Prius Family, the new Prius c will find favor with younger shoppers seeking a smartly designed, fuel-efficient subcompact car packing advanced drivetrain and in-car technology. The Prius c will offer engaging driving dynamics with superior urban maneuverability. When the 2012 Prius c arrives in showrooms this spring, the all-new hatchback will offer:

The highest rated city fuel economy estimate of any vehicle without a plug*; 53 mpg in the city, and 46 mpg on the highway, for a combined rating of 50 mpg
The most accessible Prius will feature a starting MSRP below $19,000 with proven hybrid powertrain and premium technology

A premium subcompact car experience thanks to a wide array of available convenience and advanced in-car electronics features, including a standard 3.5-in. full color TFT multi-information display, hands-free phone capability, USB port with iPod® connectivity, and available Display Audio system with Navigation and Entune™

The scale of the all-new Prius c becomes apparentwhen compared to the familiar proportions of the midsize Prius Liftback. The Prius c is smaller and lighter than its midsize Prius stable mate with 19.1 inches less length (157.3 vs. 176.4 inches OAL) and 542 lbs. less weight than the Prius Liftback (2,500 vs. 3,042 lbs.). In adapting the Hybrid Synergy Drive to the smaller Prius c platform, each of the system's major components were re-designed to reduce weight, scale, and improve efficiency.

Four Grades with Generous Standard Equipment
The Prius c will be available in four trim levels offering desirable features, equipment, and enhanced capability giving consumers a compelling value proposition. Prius c provides many standard features such as automatic climate control, tilt-telescopic steering wheel with audio, climate, Multi-Information Display and Bluetooth® hands-free controls, and remote keyless entry with illuminated entry among a long list of standard equipment.

Efficient Packaging
The Prius c's effective packaging design strategically locates key drivetrain components within the chassis to help optimize interior space and handling. The compact gasoline engine, transaxle and power-control unit are optimally placed within the vehicle to help enhance weight distribution and lower the center of gravity. In addition, the hybrid battery and fuel tank are positioned together beneath the rear seat, ideally distributing their mass within the wheelbase to improve weight distribution to help enhance handling. By locating the battery and fuel tank below the rear seat, the Prius c is able to offer 104 cu. ft. of interior volume (87.4 cu. ft. passenger volume, 17.1 cu. ft. cargo volume).

Prius c Hybrid Synergy Drive Propulsion
The Prius c's Hybrid Synergy Drive system integrates the operation of components that include a gasoline engine, an electric motor within a Continuously Variable Transaxle, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a power control unit (inverter), a DC-DC converter, a step-up converter and a hybrid control computer. The hybrid control computer governs the seamless application of gasoline engine and electric power depending on driving demands and selected drive mode.

The Prius c relies on a SULEV (Tier 2 Bin 3) rated 1.5-liter in-line, four-cylinder gasoline engine that utilizes an Atkinson cycle to increase efficiency. This engineproduces 73 horsepower and 82 lb.-ft. of torque, contributing to a total hybrid system output of 99 hp.

The Prius c's hybrid system utilizes a 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack that has been located under the rear passenger seat, near the center of the vehicle, and low in the chassis to help improve the center of gravity.

Prius c offers three distinct drive modes: Normal, Eco, and EV mode. Eco mode reduces overall energy consumption by governing climate control and throttle to improve vehicle efficiency. Under certain conditions, the EV mode allows the Prius c to be driven solely by electric power for a short distance (under 1 mile) while remaining below 25 mph.

Vehicle Structure – Improved Handling and Safety
The Prius c's body structure makes extensive use of lightweight, high-strength steel to help reduce vehicle mass and improve fuel economy. The strategic use of high-tensile-strength steel contributes to the vehicle's ability to absorb and disperse impact energies helping enhance occupant safety. The high level of torsional rigidity afforded by the Prius c body structure allows the suspension to be more optimally tuned for ride and handling.

Suspension and Steering for Enhanced Handling
The front suspension uses a Macpherson strut design, and the rear rides on a tuned torsion beam. The coil-spring and shock-absorber characteristics of the Prius c have been tuned to enhance handling, flat turning, and smooth ride comfort. Prius c is available with 15- or 16-inch wheel-and-tire combinations. The 15-inch wheels are available in steel with wheel cover for base model or in aluminum alloy for elevated trim levels. Prius c models equipped with the available 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels enjoy enhanced handling thanks to a faster steering ratio (2.28 turns lock to lock), which helps quicken the vehicle's dynamic response.

Youthful Exterior and Interior Design
The Prius c exterior design helps project a fun, youthful attitude for this all-new addition to the Prius family, while offering excellent aerodynamic performance. Extensive aerodynamic features were engineered into the Prius c to help achieve a 0.28 coefficient of drag. Adding character to this subcompact, the Prius c's lower-body styling is wider below the beltline, featuring sculpted rear flares to help express a sturdy, athletic stance that communicates a more agile driving experience.

The Prius c's available exterior colors include vibrant hues that are unique and expressive. The available colors for Prius c include three new colors – Habanero, Moonglow, and Summer Rain Metallic – along with Blue Streak Metallic, Absolutely Red, Black Sand Pearl, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Classic Silver Metallic, and Super White.

The Prius c interior design seeks to create a space that is futuristic yet passenger friendly. Using black as a basic interior color, the door trim, seat surfaces, and instrument panel feature treatments in lighter colors to help create contrast.

Display Audio and Connectivity with Entune®
The 2012 Prius c will offer three audio system configurations. A base audio system features either four or six speakers, depending on the model, and includes AM/FM CD player with MP3/WMA playback capability, auxiliary audio jack, USB port with iPod® connectivity, hands-free phone capability, phone book access, and music streaming via Bluetooth® wireless technology.

The Display Audio with Navigation and Entune™ has six speakers and augments capability with a 6.1-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio capability (with 3-month trial subscription to XM Select package), HD Radio™ with iTunes® tagging, and advanced voice recognition. Toyota's Entune™ multi-media system functions through select smart phones' interface that brings applications such as Bing and Pandora® to the vehicle audio display. It also features real time information such as traffic, weather, fuel prices, sports, and stocks.

Standard Safety Features
The Prius c is equipped with nine airbags strategically located to help protect the driver and passengers in the event of certain types of accidents. The new 2012 Prius c, like allToyota models, is equipped with the standard Star Safety System™, which includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), and Smart Stop Technology (SST).

UPDATE: 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 23:14:41 GMT

UPDATE: 2013 Toyota Land Cruiser

Slight visual tweaks to the exterior include the addition of LED running lamps up front, as well as HID low-beam headlamps and a refreshed grille. Aside from that, not much else has changed as far as design goes, and while the Land Cruiser does look a bit old, it's decidedly rugged and handsome.

The Land Cruiser's 5.7-liter V8 is carried over unchanged, still with 381 horsepower and 401 pound-feet of torque on tap, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. Of course, because the Land Cruiser is billed as a true off-road vehicle, driving aids like KDSS (Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) and Multi-Terrain Select are standard. Inside, the Land Cruiser gets a brand new hard-drive-based navigation system complete with Toyota's new Entune infotainment system.

[SOURCE: AutoBlog.com ]

Toyota Touch Life – Worlds First Smartphone Mirroring Product

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:32:22 GMT

Toyota Touch Life – Worlds First Smartphone Mirroring Product

Toyota Touch – the Euro-spec version of Entune – is gaining one more functionality in the Toyota (not Scion) iQ: Toyota Touch Life.

The system is the first to use the Car Connectivity Consortium's (CCC) MirrorLink technology, which can port an exact replica of a connected smartphone's display to the iQ's seven-inch touchscreen.

The first platform supported by Toyota Touch Life comes from Nokia – a key partner in the CCC – and its Car Mode app, which can be download from the Nokia Store for devices running Symbian Belle (which, ironically, is about to be phased out in favor of Windows Phone 7).

Apple iPhone users aren't left out of the mix and will be able to download the Application Launcher app from the App Store, allowing them to access the Garmin StreetPilot app, Stitcher radio and Facebook and Twitter integration through a clean and supposedly distraction-free interface. However, functionality in U.S. models remains an open question, something which should be cleared up in the coming months.

[SOURCE: Toyota , Autoblog.com ]

Toyota PRESS RELEALSE

Toyota Touch Life - world-first smartphone mirroring infotainment product

Toyota introduces the latest addition to the Toyota Touch infotainment product family with the all-new Toyota Touch Life. Offering consumers with unprecedented smartphone-vehicle connectivity, Toyota Touch Life will be available for the Toyota iQ city car towards the end of 2011 in selected markets. Toyota Touch Life uses the latest industry connectivity protocols to mirror the smartphone's display on the infotainment system's 7-inch touchscreen. Smartphone functionalities can now be easily accessed using steering wheel-based controls or the large touchscreen surface.

Nokia smartphone owners can seamlessly connect their devices with Toyota Touch Life using the new industry standard connectivity protocol, MirrorLink™, developed by the Car Connectivity Consortium. This represents an automotive industry world-first deployment of the protocol.

In addition, Nokia smartphone users can also make use of the specially developed Nokia Car Mode app which simplifies the user interface to give direct access to the device's telephony, voice guided, turn-by-turn navigation, and music player functions. This easy-to-use GUI (graphical user interface) ensures that drivers can access only the most essential and non-distracting functions on the smartphone while the car is on the move. The Nokia "Car Mode" app, with MirrorLink™ support, can be downloaded from the Nokia Store for devices equipped with the Symbian Belle (1) operating system. When the car is stationery, Toyota Touch Life allows drivers and passengers to access the complete functionalities of their Nokia smartphones through the in-car touchscreen display. The display supports not only point-and-touch standard touchscreen capabilities but also on-screen scrolling or swiping gestures.

Apple iPhone users (running iOS 4 or later) can download the free "Application Launcher" app from the App Store to connect their devices with Toyota Touch Life. The "Application Launcher" app offers drivers and passengers access to various apps on the in-car display including the Garmin StreetPilot® (2) app (available for purchase from the App Store), internet radio and news apps such as AUPEO! (3) and Stitcher (3), and social networking services such as Facebook and Twitter (4) using the built-in application interface.

Complete audiovisual connectivity to the Apple iPod also comes as standard on Toyota Touch Life, giving users complete access to their music and video collection using either steering wheel-based controls or buttons located on the infotainment system.

Smartphone-vehicle connectivity with the Toyota Touch Life will continue to expand as more mobile communications and consumer electronics companies continue to implement the MirrorLink™ industry standard.

Toyota Touch Life is the latest addition to the Toyota Touch family of infotainment products aiming to offer a new level of in-car connectivity and multimedia experience to a wider range of consumers. The Toyota Touch & Go was recently introduced for the Toyota Verso-S, Yaris and Hilux models. The Toyota Touch infotainment experience will be soon expanded with the Toyota Touch & Go Plus, making its debut for the Toyota Avensis, Prius and Verso, as well as the Toyota Touch Pro for the Toyota Prius.

(1) Nokia Car Mode app with MirrorLink™ support will be available for download on Nokia 701, Nokia 700, Nokia 603, Nokia 600, expanding to include Nokia N8, Nokia E7, Nokia C7, Nokia X7 and Nokia C6-01 models at a later date. Support for Nokia N9 is also planned.

(2) Two versions of the Garmin StreePilot® navigation app are currently supported, including maps for Western Europe and the United Kingdom and Ireland.

(3) AUPEO! and Stitcher apps are subject to regional availability in the Apple App Store.

(4) Application Launcher uses the Twitter API (application programming interface) to access Twitter.

Toyota to build Camry models in Kentucky and Indiana

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:25:26 GMT

Toyota to build Camry models in Kentucky and Indiana

TOKYO -- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to halt exports of its Japan-made Camry sedan to North America following the launch of the redesigned version this fall.

The phase out of imported Camrys, which currently account for just a sliver of U.S. sales, comes as the company races to boost local production to offset exchange rate losses.

"The current U.S. production capacity is sufficient to produce the vehicles we plan to sell," says Yukihiro Okane, chief engineer for the seventh generation Camry, which went on sale in Japan on Sept. 5 and hits U.S. showrooms later this month. "North America will be self sufficient," he said.

Toyota is targeting annual U.S. sales of 360,000 Camrys, and the car will be manufactured at Toyota's factory in Georgetown, Ky., as well as Subaru's factory in Indiana.

Toyota's Tsutsumi plant in Toyota City, Japan, will also continue making the car. But output is seen around 30,000 units a year, with only 6,000 going to the domestic Japanese market.

None of those vehicles will be U.S.-bound, Okane said. Imported Camrys accounted for just 982, or half-a-percent, of the 203,688 Camrys sold in the United States through August.

While the Camry has been the best selling car in the United States for nine straight years, the sedan is anything but big in Japan. Domestic sales peaked at 82,000 units in 1990 and dwindled to 1,100 units last year. At home, the mid-sized Camry, which gets its name from the Japanese word for crown, languishes between the upscale Crown sedan and sportier Mark X.

The company aims to lift annual Japan sales to 6,000 by offering only the hybrid version here. The goal is to tap Japanese enthusiasm for gasoline-electric drivetrains and offer a car that qualifies for government eco-car incentives, which the gasoline-only version fails to do.

Despite meager sales plans for Japan, Toyota says importing the Camry from bigger overseas production bases, such as Georgetown, was never considered -- regardless of the exchange rate.

Japan first

Because the car was developed in Japan, Toyota sees it as important to keep a manufacturing center -- no matter how small -- close to the engineering team that created it, to troubleshoot potential problems and improve the manufacturing process, Okane said.

"This Camry was developed in Japan, which means that production engineering as well as design engineering originated here," Okane said. "So at the moment, it's most effective to manufacture the Camry in Japan, and starting with Tsutsumi to deploy manufacturing globally."

The hybrid factor also plays a role.

While Toyota plans to sell 50,000 hybrid Camrys in the United States, all of those will be made with batteries, electric motors and inverters imported from Japan. It makes little sense to export those components from Japan, only to re-import them in completed vehicles.

And by focusing on the hybrid version in Japan, Toyota is able to squeak out extra volume for local production of hybrid drivetrain components -- a key strategy in bringing down costs.

Global targets

Globally, the car will be made at nine assembly plants in eight countries.

Toyota is targeting worldwide sales around 850,000 units for the latest generation, Okane said. That would be a big surge over last year's tally of 692,000. But it would still fall short of the Camry's peak sales of 924,000 units in 2007, right before the global financial crisis.

Okane said Toyota won't need to expand global Camry capacity to meet their targets. Any excess demand in one market can be bridged by shipments from other markets.

That opens the door for exports from North America down the road. "There's a possibility," Okane said, though he declined to speculate about when such a shift might be needed.

SOURCE: [ Automotive News ]

Toyota offers Window to the world - back-seat passenger multimedia system

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:15:53 GMT

Toyota offers Window to the world - back-seat passenger multimedia system

Everywhere we look we're surrounded by "smart" technology embedded into everyday items. Refrigerators have built-in televisions and internet connections, while our phones contain more computing power than a NASA co ntrol room from the '70s. Automakers are also ready to ride the tech-train to tomorrow, and Toyota has provided a glimpse of a new way to give passengers a window to the world.

A car already has such a window, but what if the glass was able to provide both information of the world outside and an interactive tool to view it. Engineers and designers from Toyota Motor Europe and the Copenhagen Instituted of Interaction Design have begun thinking about the future, and it could feature a rather unique option for the rear windows. Touch-screen glass would allow one to see how far objects lie in the distance, pinch to zoom on an area outside and to generally learn more about what's going on outside.

Source: Autoblog,

Inventory: Dealers make advertising adjustments due to earthquake

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Thu, 19 May 2011 21:40:23 GMT

Inventory: Dealers make advertising adjustments due to earthquake

Some U.S. dealers are altering their local advertising plans as parts shortages and production cuts stemming from the March 11 Japanese earthquake and tsunami have caused inventories to shrink.

Though some Toyota, Honda and Nissan dealers are continuing with their planned ad campaigns, others are canceling campaigns, cutting back or shifting their resources to deal with the fewer cars that are on their lots.

Allen Foster, general manager of Smart Toyota in Madison, Wis., said the dealership would cut back on about 25 percent of its call-to-action marketing and focus its resources on cars that it actually has in stock.

The dealership, which is out of Priuses and running low on Corollas, is going to shift its advertising focus to other models that have adequate inventory, Foster said.

“What we need to do in the meantime is make the best deal with the inventory we have,” Foster said. “… The shelves aren’t totally bare.”

Tom Rudnai, president of Longo Toyota in suburban Los Angeles, the largest Toyota dealership in the world, said the dealership, owned by Penske Automotive Group Inc., would feature a different type of campaign than it usually runs during the busy summer months.

Rundai said the dealership would “focus on a ‘why buy at Longo’ campaign, not a campaign focused on a deal.”

Performance Automotive Group, which has 15 dealerships in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska, may shift some of its media buys to later in the summer when more cars will be available from manufacturers, President Mickey Anderson said.

Toyota said last week that it expects its North American production to return to 70 percent capacity by the end of June.

April sales at the group’s Toyota, Lexus, Scion and Honda dealerships were strong, and Anderson said he is watching sales and inventory closely. He added that the group had no plans to increase advertising for its other dealerships -- which include Chrysler, Dodge, Ford and Jeep stores -- to accommodate for the Japanese inventory shortages.

AutoNation Inc., the largest automotive retailer in the country, is changing some radio spots initially meant to promote Japanese-brand stores to advertisements for its Ford or Chevrolet dealerships, The Wall Street Journal reported this week.

Still, Lipton Toyota in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is continuing with its usual advertisements, President Steve Jensen said.

Jensen said that with a current 90-day supply of vehicles, his dealership has not suffered severely from the shortages. Though he initially held back a bit on advertising to see what consumer demand was like, Jensen said he plans to continue to buy his regular full-page color advertisements in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper and to send out 25,000 advertisements through the mail for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.

Jensen, a representative on Toyota’s dealer council, said the inventory shortage hasn’t stopped most South Florida Toyota dealers from continuing to advertise.

“Right now everyone is still doing it,” Jensen said. “Most of the dealers have good inventories.”

While some dealers are altering their advertising, Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota Division, said the manufacturer would continue to advertise and offer APR and lease incentives.

“The car business is a game of momentum,” Carter said. “Once you have it, it’s hard to stop in times of unique availability. We have made some adjustments in timing [of advertising and incentives], but we still will have a strong presence in our marketing.”

Source: [ Automotive News ]

Toyota, Nissan aggressively resume incentive programs

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Thu, 12 May 2011 21:36:35 GMT

Toyota, Nissan aggressively resume incentive programs

LOS ANGELES -- One day after announcing that its North American factories would be cranking up production sooner than expected, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. unveiled a series of regional cash, interest-rate, and lease incentives on most of its vehicles. Nissan Motor Co. is following suit, with an expected big Memorial Day push.

The new round of incentives also follows preliminary results, shared with Automotive News today, showing that sales at Toyota and Honda dropped sharply in early May. Sales also were weaker at Nissan during the first 10 days of the month.

At the beginning of May, Toyota's budget for incentives was barren because the automaker assumed damage from the March earthquake in Japan would continue to ravage its supply line and inventories.

But recent efforts to repair its supply chain will let Toyota regain nearly full production capacity over the next month. As a result, it is cranking up incentive spending.

Nissan's Japanese factories also will be back to near-full capacity in June, with North American factories following shortly thereafter. Nissan also is responding to a rise in U.S. inventories by raising discounts.

"Nissan is in a much healthier position than either of our two main Japanese competitors," Al Castignetti, Nissan Division general manager, wrote to dealers in a memo today.

As a result, dealers have been instructed to "'rev the Nissan engine' and grow market share," by way of a Memorial Day tent sale and the best-ever lease deals on Altima and Maxima.

Through April, Toyota's U.S. sales were up 9 percent this year, in an overall market that has climbed 20 percent, reflecting dwindling supplies of Toyota and Lexus models following the quake.

Through April, Nissan's U.S. sales were up 22 percent, with the Nissan brand up 23 percent and Infiniti up 12 percent.

Sluggish May start

But during the first 10 days of May, Toyota and Honda Motor Co. posted sharply lower sales compared with the same period a year ago and last month, according to internal and preliminary sales reports obtained today by Automotive News.

Sales were off 56 percent at the Toyota Division, down 45 percent at Lexus, down 41 percent at the Honda Division, and off 46 percent at Acura.

The sales decline at Nissan and Infiniti -- 12 percent - was not as severe, but sales at Hyundai surged 37 percent, according to the documents.

Toyota declined to comment on the confidential sales reports that show demand for some of its top-selling models fell more than 50 percent in early May.

"We can say that our supply outlook has improved significantly with this week's production announcements. As a result, based on our assessment of the market environment, we'll be offering enhanced incentives on a number of core models, including Camry, Corolla, Highlander, Avalon, Venza and Sienna," Toyota spokesman Steve Curtis said in a statement. "We believe these programs, which will be effective immediately and will vary from region to region, will keep us competitive."

Honda declined to comment on the latest 10-day sales figures.

"It's no secret that our factories have been operating at a reduced capacity for the past few weeks and the next few months will be challenging from a production perspective," Honda spokesman Chris Martin said. "We are going to face an inventory challenge going forward."

Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting at J.D. Power and Associates, said today there was a significant pullback in industry-wide sales during the first five days of May compared to April.

He blamed rising gas prices, lower industry rebates, and inventory shortages, especially among smaller vehicles, for the drop.

U.S. light vehicle sales rose 18 percent in April from a year-ago.

At the beginning of May, Toyota had almost no incentives. The Toyota Navigator, the monthly bulletin that Toyota distributes to dealers about incentive programs, was only two lines long. It's normally a full page.

That has changed, effective today, with a new round of incentives that vary market to market.

For instance, in Los Angeles, the Camry has a 0 percent interest-rate deal for 36 months, a 1.9 percent interest-rate deal for 60 months, or a lease deal for $219 per month with a $1,999 drive-off payment.

Some markets won't get the same incentives. Los Angeles and the Gulf States have $309-per-month lease deals on Prius, but parts of the Midwest do not.

Similarly, Los Angeles has a 1.9 percent interest-rate deal for 60 months or $1,000 cash back on the Tundra. In Texas, there is $3,000 in package savings, a lease deal for $299 a month or $1,000 cash back on the Tundra; while Omaha has $1,000 cash back and 1.9 percent financing.

Meanwhile, Southeast Toyota is adding its own incentives to Toyota Motor Sales' contribution. The Southeast Toyota lease deal on Camry is $10 less per month than the Toyota offer, the Corolla is $22 less, Sienna is $30 less and the Venza is $60 less per month.

Source: [ Automotive News ]

Toyota workers to work for Habitat For Humanity on down days

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Mon, 09 May 2011 17:09:18 GMT

Toyota workers to work for Habitat For Humanity on down days

The Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio, TX has been hit by parts shortages as a result of the March 11 earthquake. The plant will be shut down on Mondays and Fridays, and production will be at only 50 percent the other three days of the week.

Luckily for the facility's 2,800 workers, Toyota plans to pay its employees even when the plant is down, but there's a caveat. The workers will need to either sign up for training or build homes for Habitat for Humanity if they want to collect a full paycheck. If the workers don't feel like taking Toyota up on either offer, the employee will be able to take an unpaid leave.

The move runs counter to one made by Honda, which recently announced part-time plant schedules in North America between May 9 and July 1. Honda workers will have the choice of doing training if they wish, or they can stay home and get paid anyway.

Local television station KENS5 reports that Toyota is taking this step because it believes that Habitat for Humanity work is all about giving back, respecting people and constantly improving. It's hard to argue that point, and we're sure the local community is more than thrilled with Toyota's decision. What's more, we're guessing workers will be very happy that the paychecks will continue to come in, in spite of the considerable supply woes the automaker faces.

Source: [ KENS 5, Autoblog ]

Japanese automakers have lost half a million units since quake

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 21:57:14 GMT

Japanese automakers have lost half a million units since quake

According to Automotive News, Japanese automakers have seen their production drop by over 500,000 units since the March 11 earthquake struck the island nation. In the month since the disaster, the country's seven largest automakers lost around 516,000 units of production due to damage to production facilities and supplier delays. Toyota has been the hardest hit, with a loss of 260,000 units as of April 8. The automaker has a total of 18 domestic manufacturing facilities, and while two of those are back online, the remainder won't open their doors until at least April 18. Even then, the plants may shut down again after April 27.

Honda, Suzuki, Subaru, Nissan, Mazda and Mitsubishi are all operating on some level, though production is an on-again, off-again affair. As an example, Nissan has managed to re-open all five of its Japanese facilities, though production has been scaled back to half-pace for the time being. There's no word as to when full production will ramp up once again.

Source: [ Automotive news , autoblog.com ]

Toyota suppliers, on life support

David Walker, LeaseTrader.com — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:26:12 GMT

Toyota suppliers, on life support

A Toyota dealership is seen at a devastated area after the earthquake and tsunami, in Minamisanriku, Miyagi prefecture, on March 22. Hundreds of parts suppliers in Toyota City have become victims of the earthquake and subsequent radiation leak at a power plant that have disrupted production and distribution in Japan's northeast.

Toyota CITY, Japan (Reuters) - For Fumihiro Shimizu and his family-owned auto parts plant in this company town, being a second-tier supplier for Japan's top car makers has never been easy.

Even in the boom years, margins were squeezed as Toyota Motor Corp. and others extracted maximum value from suppliers to fight off competition from overseas rivals and keep prices down.

Now, with the magnitude-9.0 earthquake off Japan's eastern coast halting virtually all car assembly in the country since March 11, Shimizu says his company is facing its toughest test yet.

"It's never been this bad," he said. "The areas hit by the tsunami are a mess, but here the auto industry is being strangled. The buildings are standing but inside, we're economically starving to death," he said.

Shimizu Kogyo is one of hundreds of parts suppliers in Toyota City that have become victims of the earthquake and subsequent radiation leak at a power plant that have disrupted production and distribution in Japan's northeast.

With a full-scale recovery expected to be months away, the cost to Japan's $700 billion auto industry will be significant.

And without a clear exit in sight, many say the upshot will be the liquidation of smaller and weaker suppliers that will be unable to meet their payments.

"Many of these companies worked only nine days out of the 23 working days in March," said Yusuke Yamakawa, senior manager at Tokyo Shoko Research's Nagoya branch, near Toyota City.

"Some financially weak subcontractors will inevitably go under starting in April."

Detroit-style decline?

While times are tough and some bankruptcies are expected, few in Japan's Motor City see the risk of a Detroit-style decline.

Detroit's unemployment rate is among the highest in the United States after General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler shuttered dozens of factories in recent decades as sales fell with increased competition against Asian brands.

Bigger, stronger parts companies in Toyota City could buy up smaller struggling rivals. But without the suppliers at the bottom of the food chain that have long endured low-margin components, Toyota could gradually lose its cozy supply chain that has kept much of its production in Japan.

Although hundreds of kilometers away from the worst-hit regions of the earthquake, tsunami, and radiation, Toyota already appears a changed city.

A shortage of electronics and resin-based components from the region has forced automakers including Toyota and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd to suspend a majority of their factory lines, resulting in a production loss of at least half-a-million vehicles so far.

The roads are free of the 10-ton trucks that usually carry parts to Toyota's five assembly plants here. Instead, business at pachinko parlours - Japan's most popular form of gambling - is booming. Restaurants are busy with families at lunchtime as factory workers are told to take time off.

Auto parts makers in the city of 420,000 say they have never stopped work for as long as a month. The record so far was two weeks, when Toyota suspended production to work down bloated inventory after the economic crisis blew up in 2008.

About a fifth of the residents in Toyota City work in the auto manufacturing sector.

Analysts say many small and medium-sized companies still have outstanding loans from the financial crisis, meaning banks will be reluctant to lend further to the companies that need it most.

An official at Toyota City's unemployment office said that over the past few days, his office had fielded 40 to 50 calls from companies asking about government support to keep paying wages in the event they had to fully suspend operations.

Risk management

Already workers are looking for ways to fill in the time they would usually be on the assembly lines.

At one of the pachinko parlours a short drive from Toyota's headquarters, about a dozen rows of slot machines were occupied nearly to capacity with men of working age puffing away at their cigarettes.

"Since the earthquake, I'd say we've seen a 20 to 30 percent rise in traffic," said the store's deputy manager, who asked that he and his store not be identified.

"Because of everything that's going on up north, a business like ours tends to get criticized by people who think it's socially inappropriate to be running an amusement business at a time like this. But with the factories closed, some of those workers need something to pass the time," he said.

While the supply disruption has affected all Japanese automakers and even many overseas, the current debacle was a particularly cruel blow for Toyota.

To spread out its geographic risk, the world's biggest automaker has in recent years begun to establish a third production cluster in Japan in the northeast Tohoku region, which bore the full force of the earthquake and tsunami.

Toyota builds more than two-thirds of its vehicles in Japan in and around its namesake city, and the rest was meant to be spread into the southern Kyushu region and Tohoku.

Toyota Chairman Fujio Cho last month celebrated the opening of subsidiary Central Motor's new, 120,000-units-a-year factory near the badly hit city of Sendai. The plant suffered some damage to its facilities and equipment from the quake.

Toyota is scrambling to get whatever production it can back. So far, it has resumed limited production of the Prius and two other hybrid models at two factories, including the Tsutsumi plant in Toyota City. It is also producing replacement parts and parts for overseas production.

That has helped Okuda Industry, a second-tier supplier, bring its production of engine and transmission parts back up to 70 percent of pre-quake levels in the past two weeks. While his peers in Toyota City say he's lucky, President Kiyohito Okuda said that was far from enough to make money.

"We'll be in the red this month," he said, referring to March. "So if you're operating at 0-20 percent, as I think many suppliers here are, you're past the point of worrying about losing money - it's far, far worse."

The disaster hit just as Toyota's suppliers, like the automaker itself, were recovering from a recall crisis-driven sales drop and the global recession before that.

With a strong yen crippling its domestic operations, Toyota had reduced its daily vehicle production in Japan to around 12,000-13,000 units, or about 70 percent of its peak years. Parts makers say they were just beginning to get by at those reduced levels.

Family businesses to fade

Kosei Aluminium President Shunkichi Kamiya said his company needs to be producing at about fourth-fifths of capacity to break even - a far cry from around 10-20 percent since the quake. He is assuming a worst-case scenario that a full recovery of car production would take six months - too long for many of the city's debilitated subcontractors further down the supply chain to stay afloat.

"We have an overseas business that's healthy, so we will be able to withstand some pain," Kamiya said.

His company, which makes aluminium wheels and other parts, plans to extend financial support to one of its subcontractors so as not to disrupt production, he said.

Kosei has switched off the man-made waterfall on the company grounds, even though the power source in Toyota City is different from the blackout-affected northeast.

As the pain lasts, Shimizu Kogyo's Shimizu said the end-game for many family-owned suppliers might be to give up and hand over the business to any willing takers.

"Nowadays, you don't find too many families that want to hand down the business to the next generation," said Shimizu, who has no children of his own.

"The one good thing about this business was that it was fairly stable. Now even that's gone. If we reach the end of our rope, I guess we'll just sell the business. I think many people like us have the same thought - how best to end the business."