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Fast Facts I
Feb.3,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1. January Sales For TMS and Auto Industry Impacted By Cold Weather; TMS #1 in Retail Sales
Record low temperatures and heavy snowfall impacted January auto industry sales, down 2.8
percent from last year.
Tota l Toyota, Lexus and Scion (TMS) sales of 146,365 were down 7.2 percent from last year, partly
due to weather conditions, but mostly due to a reduction in fleet sales. Last January, TMS was still
in the process of making fleet deliveries delayed by Hurricane Sandy.
TMS was the number one retail manufacturer for the month, with total retail sales down less than
two percent.
TMS Highlights
• Toyota Division sales of 128, 728 were down nine percent from the previous year.
• Toyota Division truck sales were up 6.5 percent, its best January in six years.
• Toyota was the number one retail brand for the month.
• RAV4 had its best January ever with nearly 17,000 sales, up 45 percent.
• The new Tundra had its best January in six years, sales were up 12.5 percent.
• Toyota Certified Used Vehicles (TCUV) had the best month in the industry, with sales topping 26,000 units for the 21st month in a row.
• Lexus had its best January in six years and was one of few nameplates to show a gain for the month.
• Lexus sales of 17,637 marked an increase of nearly nine percent.
• All three Lexus SUVs (LX, GX and RX) posted sales gains
To read more, please click on: http://toyota.us/leDZSJO
Fast Facts
Feb.4,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1. Toyota Reports Solid Third Quarter Sales, Revenues and Net Income
Toyota announced strong third quarter (October-December) financial results today for the fiscal
year ending March 31, 2014, bolstered by increased vehicle sales, cost-cutting efforts and
favorable exchange rates:
• Global vehicle sales for the quarter rose 204,000 to 2.31 million units
• Net revenues were 6.585 trillion yen ($65.8 billion), an increase of 23.8%
• Operating income jumped 381.3% to 600.5 billion yen ($6 billion)
• Net income soared 425.9% to 525.4 billion yen ($5.25 billion)
(all currency translations are approximate based on 100-yen-to-the-dollar exchange rate)
The company also raised its forecast for the full fiscal year that will end next quarter as follows:
• Global vehicle sales of 9.1 million
• Net revenues of 25.5 trillion yen ($255 billion)
• Operating income of 2.4 trillion yen ($24 billion)
• Net income of 1.9 trillion yen ($19 billion)
(all currency translations are approximate based onlOO-yen-to-the-dollar exchange rate)
For more information on the fiscal year results, please click on: http://toyota.us/lfJc5RE
2. Scion FR-S Awarded 5-Star Overall Rating in NHTSA Crash Tests
The 2014 Scion FR-S has 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.
Feb.5,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom .com .
1. Toyota Dominates Consumer Reports' Brand Perception Survey
Toyota widened its lead as the highest-rated automotive brand in Consum~r Reports' annual
consumer perception survey, The Detroit News reported today. The Toyota brand topped the
list, 25 points higher than second place Ford with Honda in third place. The annual study asks
consumers how they perceive top auto brands in seven buying areas:
• quality
• safety
• performance,
• value
• fuel economy
• design/style
• technology/innovation
According to the newspaper, non-profit Consumer Reports magazine has a total of 8 million
subscribers and is "widely influential among car buyers. "
To read more about t he survey, please visit: http://bit.ly/1b2q3j7
2. Lexus Top Luxury Brand; Toyota Wins Three Categories in KBB's 'Cost To Own' Awards
For the second year in a row, Lexus was named the Top Luxury Brand, while three Toyota
models, Corolla, Prius c and Tacoma regular cab, were chosen as winners in their respective
categories in Ke lley Blue Book's (KBB's) 2014 '5-Year Cost to Own' awards.
According to Kel ly Blue Book's KBB.com, the Lexus brand and three Toyota models have the
lowest projected cost of ownership over five years .
KBB noted, while depreciation (loss of value) and fuel costs may be the greatest expenses
incurred in owning a vehicle, other factors can have a significant impact on a consumer's
pocketbook including finance and insurance fees, maintenance and repair costs, and state
fees for new models.
Click here for more information about the 2014 '5-Year Cost to Own' award for Lexus.
Click here for more information about the awa rds for Toyota.
3. Toyota Earns 'Best All-Around' and 'Best Environmental' Performance Awards
Chalk up a few more noteworthy accolades for Toyota and Scion vehicles.
The 2014 Prius v received multiple awards from the Automotive Science Group (ASG)
including:
• Best All-Around Performance
• Best Environmental Performance (Wagon Class)
• Best in Class (Wagon Class)
According to ASG, an environmental po licy consulting group, "the Prius v performed
exceptionally well against the competition in areas of environmental, social and economic
performance."
Six other Toyota models were named 'Best 5 All-Around Performance' in their class,
including:
• Yaris (Mini-compact)
• Prius (Mid-size car)
• Prius Plug-in (Mid-size car)
• Prius c (Compact car)
• Venza (Wagon)
• Scion IQ (Mini-compact)
Click here for more information on the ASG award for Scion.
Click here for more information on the ASG award for Toyota.
Fast Facts
Feb.6,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1. Toyota Gets 'Dirty' With TRD Pro Series Off-Road Vehicles At Chicago Auto Show
Off-roading in a Toyota truck just got a lot more fun thanks to Toyota Racing Development
(TRD).
Jack Hollis, Vice President of Toyota Marketing, introduced the new factory-installed TRD
Pro Series off-road packages in a press conference at the Chicago Auto Show earlier today.
The limited-production TRD Pro series will be available on four-wheel drive models of the
2015 Tacoma, Tundra and 4Runner.
Fronted by a unique grille reminiscent of early off-road Toyotas like the FJ40, the TRD Pro
models will be equipped with many features including:
• TRD floor mats
• TRD shift knobs
• Black wheels
A hot new color, Inferno, is available and joined by Black and Super White.
For more on the TRD Pro series, click here: http://toyota.us/leNXrFv
2. Toyota Makes Major Commitment To Historic Daytona Speedway, Other NASCAR Tracks
With a little help from Toyota, Daytona is rising.
Toyota and the International Speedway Corporation (ISC) announced an 11-year
partnership today, making Toyota the first founding partner in Daytona International
Speedway's $400 million DAYTONA Rising redevelopment project.
This project is ISC's reimagining of the fan and sponsor experience at the historic
Speedway. The project will create a world-class facility with premium amenities along the
nearly one-mile frontstretch of the raceway, unmatched in the industry when completed in
January 2016.
Toyota will have naming rights for one of five new and redesigned fan entrances to the
raceway, start ing next year.
Toyota will also have a presence within the sp eedway's new 'World Center of Racing' zone,
a central area overlooking Daytona' s famed st art/finish line inside the new frontstretch
facility. Fans will be able to socialize and enjoy themse lves in the zone, which is roughly the
area of two football fields .
Toyota will also serve as an official partner of the Daytona 500®, including official pace car
rights .
In addition to the Founding Partner status w it h DAYTONA Rising, Toyota also extended the
following sponsorship rights at other ISC venues :
• Race entitlement sponsorship of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide
Series races at Richmond International Raceway®
• Pace Car rights at Auto Club Speedway®, Chi cagoland Speedway ®, Kansas
Speedway®, Phoenix Internationa l Raceway®, Richmond International Raceway® and
Watkins Glen International ® for each NASCAR major event weekend
• Official Vehicle at Route 66 Raceway®.
"This is a unique opportunity for Toyota to elevate our brand in the motorsports
community, especially t hrough the DAYTONA Rising project," said Bob Carter, senior vice
president of automotive operations of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.
To read more about this partnership and view a video concept of Toyota's fan entrance, go
to: http://toyota.us/1cR5mp2
3. Toyota U.S.-Assembled Exports Set Record in 2013, Jobs and Four New Countries Added
The Highlander is taking a trip abroad, and that' s great news for those who assemble the
SUV in the United States.
Today Senior Vice President of Automotive Operations Bob Carter announced that Toyota
began exporting the Highlanders in December to:
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Russia
• Ukraine
• Kazakhstan
The announcement came at the Midwest Automotive Media Association's annual breakfast
at the Chicago Auto show this morning.
Toyota expects to export approximately 29,000 Highlanders each year. To help meet
demand, Toyota plans to hire an additional 200 workers for its manufacturing plant in
Princeton, Ind., by the end of 2014.
Carter said, Toyota's total U.S exports reached 130,000 units in 2013, a 5 percent increase
from 2012 and an all-time high for the company. Toyota now exports U.S.-assembled
vehicles to 32 countries around the world.
"The export of Highlander SUVs to Australia, New Zealand and Eastern Europe helps
maintain Toyota's strong, stable base of U.S. jobs, and is the result of the great work of our
talented U.S. team members and our extensive investments across North America," Carter
added.
For more on Highlander exports, click here: http ://toyota.us/ldZSilP
~ Fast Facts
Feb. 7,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom .com .
Media Reports on Ongoing U.S. Attorney Investigation Regarding 2009-2010 Recalls
Today, The Wall Street Journal has reported on an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Attorney into the communications and decision-making processes related to Toyota's past recalls to address potential "sticking" accelerator pedals and floor mat entrapment.
Toyota originally announced the U.S. Attorney investigation in February 2010. Since then, the
company has cooperated with the investigation and continues to do so.
While there are restrictions about what the company can say publicly about this inquiry, no agreement has been reached about a potential resolution of this matter. Toyota will continue to keep associates, team members and dealers informed of any new developments.
Toyota has released the following statement in response to media inquiries:
"Toyota continues to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's office in this matter. In the nearly four years since this inquiry began , we have made fundamental changes to become a more responsive and customer-focused organization , and we are committed to continued improvements."
Feb. 11,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Toyota Announces Voluntary Recall of Certain Toyota Prius, RAV4, Tacoma and Lexus RX350 Vehicles
Toyota is advising the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of plans to conduct
voluntary safety recalls of approximately 700,000 Model Year 2010-2014 Prius vehicles and, combined,
approximately 260,000 Model Year 2012 Toyota RAV4, 2012-2013 Toyota Tacoma, and 2012-2013 Lexus
RX350 vehicles sold in the United States to address two separate issues.
• Toyota will update the motor/generator control ECU and hybrid control ECU software on certain
Model Year 2010-2014 Prius vehicles. The software's current settings could result in higher thermal stress in certain transistors, potentially causing them to become damaged. If this happens, various warning lights will illuminate and the vehicle can enter a failsafe mode. In rare circumstances, the hybrid system might shut down while the vehicle is being driven, resulting in the loss of power and the vehicle coming to a stop.
• Toyota will update the skid control ECU software on certain 2012 Toyota RAV4, 2012-2013 Toyota Tacoma, and 2012-2013 Lexus RX350 models in order to address an electronic circuit condition that can cause the Vehicle Stability Control, Anti-lock Brake, and Traction Control functions to intermittently turn off. If these systems are off, standard braking operation remains fully functional.
Toyota has received no reports of accidents or injuries associated with either condition.
As part of these recalls, owners of affected vehicles will receive a software update free of charge.
Owners will be notified by first class mail when the software updates are available at their dealers.
Detailed information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and by calling the Toyota
Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
Lexus customers can visit www.lexus.com/recall or call the Lexus Customer Satisfaction Center at 1-800-
25-LEXUS (1-800-255-3987)
w01\f , Fast Facts
Feb.12,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
1. Lexus Ranks Highest in J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study; 7 TMS Models Win Segment
Lexus ranks highest in vehicle dependability among all nameplates for the third consecutive year,
according to J.D. Power and Associates' 2014 Vehicle Dependability Study (VOS). In addition, the
Lexus ES, GS, LS and RX won their respective segments.
The Toyota brand ranked among the highest non-luxury nameplates in the study, tying for sixth with
Honda and Lincoln . Camry was ranked the most-dependable midsize car and Sienna the top
minivan .
Scion xB won in the Compact Multi-purpose Vehicle segment.
The study measures problems experienced per 100 vehicles by original buyers after three years of
ownership .
To read more about the study click here http://toyota.us/lferSoy
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2. Toyota Brands Win Most 'Best Car For The Money' Awards From U.S. News & World Report
Are Toyota, Scion or Lexus vehicles worth the money? U.S. News & World Report emphatically
says "yes."
The nationally-recognized publisher of consumer advice and information announced its '2014
Best Cars for the Money,' which is based on quality and value data. Toyota, Scion and Lexus
topped five of the 21 categories, the most of any automaker.
The winners include :
• Camry (Midsize Cars)
• Tacoma (Compact Pickup Trucks)
• FR-S (Sports Cars)
• RX Hybrid (Hybrid SUVs)
• RX 350 (Luxury 2-Row Midsize SUVs)
The RX 350 also has the distinction of winning a 'Best Car for the Money' award six years in a
row.
For the full report, click here.
ffi'5.Ytl~ · Fast Facts
Feb.25,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Lexus No. 1 Again in Consumer Reports Brand Rankings; Prius Top Green Car
Consumer Reports again named Lexus its top-ranked brand for overall reliability and
performance, the New York Times reports.
In the influential shopping guide's rankings of the top automotive brands, Lexus' overall score of 79 out of 100 was the best of the 23 brands based on the average road-test score, as well as
each brand's average predicted-reliability score, using problems reported by subscribers in
Consumer Reports' annual auto survey.
The Toyota brand scored 72 and tied for fourth overall with Subaru. Prius, for the 11th straight
year, was named the "Top Pick" in the Green Car category.
Japanese automakers dominated the list, taking seven of the top 10 spots. The lowest-scoring
brands in the survey were Ford and Jeep, which tied for last place.
For more information, click here.
m Fast Facts
Feb.27,2014
Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. Please feel free to share this information with family and friends. For more news, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
Toyota Is Among Top Global 'Most Admired' Car Companies; Moves Up to 25th Overall
FORTUNE Magazine today revealed its annual list of the World's Most Admired Companies, a report
card on corporate reputation . Among the top 50 companies of any industry, Toyota came in at 25, up
four spots from last year.
For the motor vehicle industry, Toyota dropped to second behind BMW which placed 14th in the overall
Most Admired Companies listing.
According to the article, in 2013, "Toyota's 9.98 million in car sales bested those of rival General Motors
by 270,000 units. The company's investment in gas-electric technology enabled Prius to take off as a
leading brand, and helped change the way drivers across the globe think of hybrids"
The Hay Group, which conducts the research, asked executives, directors, and analysts to rate the top
companies in their industry on nine criteria, from investment value to social responsibility. For the
overall list, the respondents were asked to select the 10 companies they admire most from a list made
up of companies that rank in the top 25 percent in last year's survey, plus those that finished in the top
20 percent of their industry.
To view the full list of the World's Most Admired Companies, please go to: http://cnnmon.ie/lkbPlPP