Toyota Announces to be the Official Automotive Partner of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games

The world’s largest automaker is now sponsoring one of the world’s most inspiring athletic events. They announced its partnership and that Toyota is going to be the official automotive partner of the 2015 Special Olympics World Games which held in Los Angeles, California, and beginning on July 25, 2015.

This partnership includes 400 Toyota vehicles to be used for the duration of the games. In addition to this, Toyota dealers across the country will encourage their employees to volunteer at the competition centers, it will take part in athlete village sponsorships and other activities to support the education of those with intellectual disabilities, as well as advocating for those people in various ways. Though this is Toyota’s first time sponsoring the World Games, the automaker has built a 28-year relationship with the Special Olympics in Southern California, helping the organization in its quest to promote acceptance for all and foster understanding and respect in communities worldwide.

“Special Olympics has a life-changing impact on everyone who experiences it, both on and off the competition fields,” said Michael Rouse, vice president of diversity, philanthropy and community affairs for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “Education is one of Toyota’s core philanthropic priorities, and the World Games is an inspiring event that unites the international community around the values of inclusion and acceptance. We look forward to sharing the power of the Games with as many people as possible and are proud to have a role in supporting this global event.”

The World Games will bring 7,000 athletes and 3,000 coaches from 177 countries to Los Angeles to compete in the largest Los Angeles sporting event since the 1984 Summer Olympics.

“It’s an honor to have Toyota, a world-class brand, join the LA2015 effort as our official automotive partner,” said Patrick McClenahan, president and CEO of LA2015. “Toyota’s enthusiasm for the World Games will have a lasting impact as we jointly celebrate the courage, determination and joy of our athletes.”

Toyota selects KDC to build new Plano headquarters

Toyota announced that it has selected Dallas based KDC real Estate Development & Investments (KDC), to build its new North American headquarters in Plano, Texas.

The campus will be built next to FedEx Office’s new home in Legacy West, near the southwest intersection of State Highway 121 and the Dallas North Tollway. The Toyota campus is a part of the 240-acre Legacy West development that KDC, Karahan Cos. and Columbus Realty Partners are building in West Plano.

“We are excited to move forward with KDC to develop our new North American headquarters,” said Doug Beebe, Corporate Manager, Administrative Services at Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.  “KDC has a proven track record of delivering high value and innovative projects to a diverse group of clients on time and on budget.  They are also a recognized leader in providing environmentally sustainable solutions, an important qualification as we plan for an environmentally sustainable campus. We are confident that KDC will deliver a world-class facility that our employees will be proud to call home.” 

Construction is set to begin early next year on an urban-style mixed-use complex of apartments, retail and restaurant space that will serve workers at Toyota and other employees in the Legacy business park.

KDC is a seasoned builder of large corporate office projects and has been involved in a number of large-scale, high profile commercial real estate projects in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex including an “urban village” of offices, retail and residences currently under development in Legacy West near the 100-acre Toyota headquarters site.

“We are proud to be partnering with Toyota on the development of its new home in North America,” said Steve Van Amburgh, CEO, KDC.  “We look forward to welcoming Toyota to Plano with a state-of-the-art headquarters that truly reflects the values of the company and its employees.  It’s a real honor to play a role in this important milestone for Toyota and historic corporate relocation for North Texas.” 

Toyota recently concluded the purchase of its new headquarters site and expects to begin occupying the campus in late 2016 or early 2017. When completed, the headquarters will be home to about 4,000 Toyota employees.

Toyota unveils FCV “Car of the future” at Aspen ideas festival 2014

Toyota is presenting a vision for the future of mobility with an interactive exhibit that brings to life arising automated vehicle technologies at the Aspen Ideas festival in June, in the US. Toyota has unveiled its commercial zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicle (FCV). 

At the press conference that was held in Japan, company officials revealed the exterior design of the FCV pre-production prototype. Interior features, along with the vehicle's name, volume, and full specifications will be released later.Toyota also announced that the FCV will go on sale in the Japan domestic market before April 2015, and then summer 2015 in Europe and the state of California. The release in other states and countries will follow. The Toyota FCV will be priced somewhere near 7 million yen, which is approximately $68,000.

“Our society is on the cusp of a revolution in personal mobility,” said Osamu Nagata, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Engineering and Manufacturing North America. “Slowly but surely, new technologies are changing how we think about automobiles and transportation -- from intelligent, automated systems that team up with drivers to improve safety, to zero-emission vehicles that emit nothing but water vapor. These technologies will help save lives, improve the environment, create jobs and help the U.S. maintain technical leadership in a field that is an important contributor to economic growth.”

The technology allows features such as “driver lock-in,” which tracks the driver’s body frame and automatically enables or disables features based upon who is interacting with the navigation panel. There are new ways in researching vehicles, new ways to use emerging wearable devices, such as smart watches, to control key vehicle functions in an effort to understand the potential impact of these devices on auto safety. In addition, the Toyota DARV 1.5 looks at new ways to create a safer driving environment by measuring driver
behaviour and providing a driving «score» based on safe driving choices. 

Toyota says that the car is «an important step forward for zero-emission vehicle technology». According to Bob Carter, the senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, the FCV will be a mid-size four-door sedan that will be rated as a zero-emission car and will have the power to travel 300 miles on a single "fill-up." One fill-up should take no more than 5 minutes. He believes that "this will be a very special vehicle. And we believe we can bring it in at a very reasonable price for a lot of people."

"The success of fuel cell technology will depend less on the genius of the car, than on the ownership experience," said Carter. "Stay tuned, because this infrastructure thing is going to happen."

Also the question is, how does one fill up a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle? Toyota's plan is to have hydrogen refueling stations built in the countries and the states that will have approach to the vehicle. Building and supporting this kind of the stations will be possible by First Element Fuels, who will be supporting Toyota in this effort.

Latino unity - Toyota welcomes the 85th National LULAC 2014 Convention in New York

This month, The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) hosted its national convention from July 8 through July 12, 2014 at the New York Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.

There were approximately 20,000 people who were attending LULAC’s 85th Annual National Convention in the city that opened its arms to immigrants, saying, “Give me your tired, your poor”. Immigration reform will be one of the key focus areas, along with civil rights for all. Toyota has appreciated a powerful, longstanding relationship with LULAC. 

This League, The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future.

“We are especially excited to partner with LULAC on this year’s conference, which promises to be as vibrant and active as the event’s host city,” says Bill Fay, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division at Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. “New ideas, important policy discussions and interesting opportunities are hallmarks of this Convention and it’s these kinds of dialogues that help us make better cars for our customers and be good citizens within the Hispanic community.”

Toyota will present LULAC at the Convention with a hybrid Prius that will serve as an official vehicle of this year's event. LULAC will have use of the car for one year as it works with Toyota to raise environmental knowledge among the Hispanic community and encourage greener and more tenable lifestyles.

"LULAC values our partnership with Toyota, and we are grateful for their sponsorship at this year's 85th LULAC Annual Convention in New York City," said Brent A. Wilkes, LULAC national executive director. "By working together, we can provide greater resources for the Latino community."

There is also an invitation from Toyota for those in New York City area to see the Toyota Sienna, Prius V and Corolla and participate in “Buckle Up for Life” or “Abrochate a la Vida” car seat and safety demonstrations.

Toyota has lasting assurance to the Hispanic community and is proud to be the number one automobile brand for U.S. Latinos since 2004. Toyota has nearly tripled its number of Hispanic-owned Toyota and Lexus dealers since 2000, and the company’s Hispanic Business Strategy Group was formed to ensure that the Hispanic attitude is an integral part of Toyota’s growth strategies.

“Toyota never rests on our laurels when it comes to our commitment to the nation’s Hispanic community,” says Luis Rosero, Director of Hispanic Business Strategy Group, Toyota Motor North America. “We are extremely grateful for all of those in the Hispanic community who continually make Toyota vehicles their number one choice. We look forward to seeing many of you at this year’s National Convention.”

Toyota Releasing First Hydrogen Vehicle in December

After years of research, development, debate and anticipation, Toyota is finally planning to release its first hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicle this year in December. Toyota may also start sales for the car around the same time. With production planned for mid-December 2014 it is ahead of the schedule. Capacity will be small at first, only "dozens" of cars will be made per month.  Interior features, along with the vehicle’s name, volume, and full specifications will be released at a later date. Toyota also announced that the FCV will go on sale in the Japan domestic market before April 2015, and then summer 2015 in Europe and the state of California. 

The main problem with hydrogen cars, as it always is with new technologies, is fitting in with the current gasoline-based infrastructure. You won’t see too many hydrogen fueling stations on street corners in 2014, but Toyota has a plan to change that.

In the fall of 2015, Toyota plans to implement a large network of hydrogen refueling stations across California. This is possible due to a $7-million loan with First Element Fuel Inc, which is lead by GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick.

Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota’s North American Region, hopes to have 50 refueling stations operating across California by the end of 2016, which may lead to the eventual US debut of Toyota’s hydrogen-powered production vehicle. 

“The success of fuel cell technology will depend less on the genius of the car, than on the ownership experience,” said Carter. “Stay tuned, because this infrastructure thing is going to happen.”

Pricing should be more or less as expected. Toyota quotes a figure of around 8 million Yen, 

or just under $80,000 at current exchange rates. That puts it among the higher end of electric vehicles on sale today in the US, and sales are likely to be small as a result. However, if Toyota's project goes to plan, it hopes to lower the car's price to 3 to 5 million Yen by 2020, as sales and production capacity allow.

“This is a zero-emission electric-drive, mid-size four-door sedan” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A. “It produces sufficient electrical power to spin the electric motor for about 300 miles on a single fill-up which takes three to five minutes.  This is going to be a very special vehicle. And we believe we can bring it in at a very reasonable price for a lot of people.”

 

Grenoble, France smart city project to launch in October

First European trial of Toyota i-Road electric vehicle to start in October in Grenoble, France, as part of three-year innovative integrated transport scheme.
                                                                  

The main idea is to allow commuters to drive the first or last kilometres of their journey for increased flexibility and time-saving, thus contributing to reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality in city centres.

The future mobility, smart cities, and many other innovations designed to make one urban city more pleasant and manageable in years to come. This idea, concrete example will become reality in Grenoble and the outlying area, making French Alps city pioneer in future mobility. Thanks to a partnership between the City and the Metropolitan Area of Grenoble, French energy company EDF, Japanese car maker Toyota and Citélib, a local car-sharing operator. 

Toyota is contributing 70 of its i-Road and Coms ultra-compact personal mobility electric vehicles to a three-year integrated electric vehicle (EV) car sharing and public transport test project that is being launched in Grenoble, France in the autumn.

Connected to the public transport system's IT infrastructure, this new car-sharing scheme will complement Citélib by allowing users to pick up one of the small EVs at one location and drop it off at another. The project also aims to promote interconnectivity of public transport methods (trams, buses, trains) and a new type of personal mobility using small vehicles that take up less space than a normal car.

Vehicles can be charged at around 30 charging stations managed by Sodetrel (EDF Group) and located close to public transport stops.

The project partners say they are offering Grenoble an innovative service which will allow a real-life, thorough evaluation of the potential of this new form of mobility. “The Grenoble-Alpes Métropole community has always been open to innovation”, explains Christophe Ferrari, President of the Grenoble-Alpes Métropole. “The partnership itself, between us, Toyota, EDF and Citélib is in and of itself also an innovation in France,” he added.  “It's a great opportunity for our community to test, for three years and exclusively in Europe, a new mode of mobility that's not only innovative but also economic and ecological. It’s an experiment that is bound to be followed by others for the benefit of our citizens.”