Consumer Reports Recognizes Several Toyota Vehicles

         Recommended- Consumer Reports recommends 20 out of 26 Toyota, Scion
     and Lexus products, the highest of any manufacturer (Pages 56-69)

     Best overall fuel economy- Toyota tied for the most with three out of
     thirteen vehicles (Page 10)
     Top picks- Toyota took 3 out of 10, more than any manufacturer;
     Sienna, Prius and RAV4 ( Pages 7-9)
     Best- Toyota has the most models listed in the "Best of the Best"
     used car category (Pages 80-81)
     Best vehicles under $20,000- Toyota tied for the most with four out
     of fourteen (Page 11)
     Five year ownership costs- Toyota has three out of the five least
     expensive vehicles to own (Page 12)
     Best values- Corolla, Prius, Camry, Sienna, RAV4, and Highlander
     (Page 20)
     Reliability over time- Toyota has the most reliable vehicles overall.
     Toyota vehicles have the fewest problems per 100 as the vehicles age.
     After five years most manufacturers' vehicles have twice as many
     problems as Toyota (Page 78)
     Problem free- The most problem free 5 year old model is the 2006
     Toyota Highlander V-6 (Page 78)
     Green car- Prius named green car of the year (Page 8)

Consumer Reports has more than 7 million subscribers and their survey is
influential because of how many consumers consider it before buying a new
vehicle.  Their latest results yielded data from over 1.3 million
responders.

Toyota Launches Entune In-Vehicle Multimedia System

It’s a match made in heaven: On the one hand, “Consumers have grown accustomed to having the world at their fingertips through their mobile phones,” according to Jon Bucci, vice president of the Advanced Technology Department at Toyota. And on the other, those buyers also have grown accustomed to Toyota meeting all their transportation needs. Now the automaker is putting both those expectations together with the Toyota Entune multimedia system, recently introduced at this year’s International CES consumer electronics show.
“And unlike other industry solutions, Entune allows the driver to interact with informative and entertaining mobile content without fumbling with their phone,” added Bucci. “We offer features that our customers demand and integrate them seamlessly in the vehicle.”
Among those features will be:

• Mobile Apps—Entune will launch offering the Bing search engine to help drivers find more than 16 million points of interest, with destinations sent directly to the vehicle’s navigation system; OpenTable, capable of making reservations at any one of 15,000 restaurants across the country; MovieTickets.com, providing access to film tickets and reviews; and the ability to get customized, real-world information about traffic, fuel prices, weather, stocks and sports.
• Music—Tuning into Entune will deliver more than 750 local radio stations via iheartradio, access to the Pandora music-streaming service, XM satellite radio, HD radio and USB connectivity for personal media players.
• Voice Recognition—Entune’s best-in-class voice-recognition system is able to respond to conversational speech commands, so there’s no need to worry about memorizing thousands of specific voice directions to operate the system.

In addition, Entune can be upgraded wirelessly, so it always packs the latest applications and functionality, and it was designed to be compatible with a wide range of current cell phones.
“Toyota has always been a leader in the automotive industry, so it makes sense it would bring the latest in mobile technology to the car,” said Chris Daniels, general manager of Bing for Mobile, Microsoft Corp. “By bringing Bing Maps and Bing for Mobile technology to the car, we are helping Toyota enhance the overall in-vehicle experience to be as rich and robust as possible, which means personalizing the information to each driver’s needs.”
The new Entune multimedia system will be available in select Toyota vehicles beginning later this year.

The Only Minivan On The 2011 IIHS Top Safety Pick List: Toyota Sienna

By Toyota in the News on February 22, 2011

With minivans once again growing in popularity, there are a lot of new choices on the market today—but only one earned a place among the 2011 Top Safety Picks chosen by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS): That was the all-new Toyota Sienna. Only vehicles that offer electronic stability control and score the highest possible marks in the IIHS’ front, side, rear and rollover crash evaluations earn the award, so this is no small honor for Toyota’s “Swagger Wagon.”

But it is further evidence of Toyota’s renewed dedication to customer safety, which also includes making the company’s Star Safety System a standard feature on the Sienna. This comprehensive suite of safety technologies includes anti-lock brakes, brake-force distribution, brake assist, vehicle stability control and traction control. Seven airbags are standard as well, ranging from dual-stage front and seat-mounted airbags for the front seats to a new driver’s-side knee airbag and side-curtain airbags that extend the length of the cabin to offer protection to passengers in all rows.

The 2011 Sienna stands apart from the crowd for other reasons, too. Completely redesigned for the new model year, Toyota’s minivan offers a choice of both four- and six-cylinder engines, front- or all-wheel drive, a sporty SE model that delivers a surprisingly dynamic driving experience, aggressive sheet metal, a roomier and more versatile interior than the 2010 model, and much more. In fact, thanks to these kinds of advantages, sales of the Sienna were up nearly 20 percent through November of this year.

Impressively, seven other Toyota products also were named to the 2011 list of IIHS Top Safety Picks:

• Toyota Corolla
• Toyota Venza
• Toyota Highlander
• Toyota Avalon
• Lexus RX
• Scion tC
• Scion xB

“Toyota is pleased to have received eight IIHS Top Safety Picks for 2011, which we believe is reflective of our ongoing commitment to developing safe and reliable vehicles for our customers,” said a company representative.

 

Toyota wants to salute do-gooders by giving 100 cars over 100 days to organizations that could really use a new set of wheels. And voters like you decide who gets a new ride every day!

Toyota Scion To Offer Complimentary Maintenance

It looks like there’s been another significant industry breakthrough for Toyota: The company recently announced it has become the first full-line brand to offer a standard complimentary maintenance program for all new vehicles in its entire lineup, in addition to now providing the same service for new products from its Scion division.
“The two complimentary maintenance plans were developed to help improve overall cost of ownership and provide invaluable peace of mind for our customers,” said Bob Carter, Toyota Division group vice president and general manager. “The new programs were inspired by owner feedback and once again reflect how Toyota listens to its customers.”
Toyota had already offered complimentary service as part of its early-year sales promotions, and the results were very impressive. In fact, some 73 percent of Toyota buyers said that it improved their confidence in the company’s products. It’s a demonstration of good will that improves customer relations, Huntington Toyota says.
The two new service plans, which have been integrated into the pre-existing Toyota Care and Scion Service Boost programs, mean that customers can benefit from normal, factory-scheduled maintenance and 24-hour roadside assistance, all at no charge, for either two years or 25,000 miles (whichever comes first). This includes oil and filter changes, tire rotations, lubrication of key chassis parts and components, and regular 19-point vehicle inspections, along with lockout protection, flat-tire service, towing, jump starts and more. It’s the kind of service normally offered by luxury brands, Toyota Huntington says.
This customer-satisfying service is already available on the new Scion and Toyota products at Scion Dealer MD today.
(Note that only retail vehicles will qualify for the complimentary maintenance and roadside assistance programs. Vehicles that are part of rental, commercial, livery or taxi fleets are excluded.)

Driver Error Caused Sudden Acceleration

Toyota is a name that you’ve certainly heard in the news over the past year thanks to endless counts of people coming forward to report issues with their Toyota Vehicles. Last year, the recalls were the hot topic- accidents and reports of sudden acceleration on certain Toyota models had consumers in an uproar.
On Tuesday, February 8^th, there was a report released by NHTSA-NASA on the electronic throttle system that contained the results of an extensive 10 month study they conducted.
It seems the incidents were caused by “user error”, the pedal sticking or the floor mat bunching up. Toyota has released an official statement in regards to this report, saying that they welcome the findings and appreciate the thoroughness of the review.
So what will this do for the reputation? It’s already been starting to restore the positive brand image for Toyota that once was — with the stock price rising and positive sentiment across social media channels and automotive sites.
For more information on the findings of the report, please check out the official NHTSA-NASA study of unintended acceleration in Toyota vehicles.

Toyota and Lexus Dominate '2011 Best Overall Value of the Year Awards' from IntelliChoice

•    Toyota Leads All Brands With Seven Awards
•    Lexus Leads All Luxury Makes Taking Four Trophies

 

SAN FRANCISCO, February 5, 2011 - - Seven Toyota vehicles and four Lexus models today took the top spot in IntelliChoice’s “2011 Best Overall Value of the Year (BOVY) Awards” at the 2011 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) convention here.  With 21 total awards handed out, Toyota and Lexus combined garnered over half of the trophies presented with 11 top honors. 

 

“Dominating the IntelliChoice’s 2011 Best Overall Value Awards is another example of how Toyota and Lexus continue to produce vehicles that retain their outstanding value,” said Don Esmond, senior vice president of Automotive Operations for Toyota Motor Sales, USA.  “In a tough economy, finding a dependable vehicle that also holds its value over an extended period is one of the most important aspects of buying a new car.”

 

IntelliChoice determines the winners of the BOVY Awards based on the top vehicles in 21 categories that represent the best overall value.  Each winner is determined by analysis of ownership costs, including depreciation, maintenance, repairs, fuel, fees, financing and insurance.     

 

Toyota Segment Winners
Passenger Car – Prius
Premium Passenger Car – Avalon
Compact Crossover/Wagon – RAV4 four-cylinder
Minivan – Sienna
SUV – 4Runner
Compact Pickup – Tacoma
Full-Size Pickup – Tundra

Lexus Segment Winners
Premium Compact Passenger Car – IS 250
Premium Convertible – IS 250C
Premium Crossover/Wagon – RX 350
Premium Full-Size SUV – GX 460