So much for Mr. Sikes

Toyota Offers Preliminary Findings From Technical Field Examination of Alleged ‘Runaway Prius’ in San Diego

• Toyota Engineers Conclude Two Days of Investigation

• Driver’s Account Of Event Inconsistent With Initial Findings

SAN DIEGO, Calif., March 15, 2010—At a press conference today, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. offered key preliminary findings of technical field examination and testing that were performed on March 10 and 11 regarding an alleged “runaway Prius” event dramatically covered by national news media.

Toyota engineers completed an investigation of the 2008 Prius driven by Mr. James Sikes that was the subject of a 911 emergency call on Monday, March 8. The driver reported that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, the accelerator pedal was stuck, and that the vehicle was out of control and could not be stopped. The emergency operator repeatedly instructed the driver to shift the car into neutral and turn off the power button.

A California Highway Patrol officer intercepted the vehicle and instructed the driver to press firmly on the brakes, apply the emergency brake and turn off the car, at which time the Prius came to a safe stop.

While a final report is not yet complete, there are strong indications that the driver’s account of the event is inconsistent with the findings of the preliminary analysis.

Toyota engineers employed data download/analysis, static and dynamic testing as well as thorough inspections of all relative components. In addition, they retraced the reported driving route taking into account driving time and accounts from the 911 recording.

The investigation revealed the following initial findings:

• The accelerator pedal was tested and found to be working normally with no mechanical binding or friction. It should be noted that the Prius is not subject to a recall for sticking accelerator pedals and the Prius component is made by a different supplier than the one recalled.

• The front brakes showed severe wear and damage from overheating. The rear brakes and parking brake were in good condition and functional.

• A Toyota carpeted floor mat of the correct type for the vehicle was installed but not secured to the retention hooks. It was not found to be interfering or even touching the accelerator pedal.

• The pushbutton power switch worked normally and shut the vehicle off when depressed for 3 seconds as the 911 operator advised Mr. Sikes to do.

• The shift lever also worked normally and neutral could be selected. The neutral position is clearly marked and can be easily engaged by moving the lever left to the “N” marking.

• There were no diagnostic trouble codes found in the power management computer, nor was the dashboard malfunction indicator light activated. The hybrid self-diagnostic system did show evidence of numerous, rapidly repeated on-and- off applications of both the accelerator and the brake pedals.

• After examination of individual components, the front brakes were replaced and the vehicle was test driven, during which the vehicle was observed to be functioning normally.

• During testing, the brakes were purposely abused by continuous light application in order to overheat them. The vehicle could be safely stopped by means of the brake pedal, even when overheated.

The Prius braking system uses both conventional hydraulic friction brakes and a regenerative braking system which switches the electric drive motors into brakes to generate electricity.

The system features a sophisticated self- protection function which cuts engine power if moderate brake pedal pressure is applied and the accelerator pedal is depressed more than approximately 50 percent, in effect providing a form of “brake override.”

This function, which is intended to protect the system from overload and possible damage, was found to be functioning normally during the preliminary field examination.

Toyota engineers believe that it would be extremely difficult for the Prius to be driven at a continuous high speed with more than light brake-pedal pressure, and that the assertion that the vehicle could not be stopped with the brakes is fundamentally inconsistent with basic vehicle design and the investigation observations.

These findings suggest that there should be further examination of Mr. Sikes account of the events of March 8.

NHTSA investigators were present during Toyota’s examination, and are conducting their own investigation of the vehicle and its performance. Toyota’s examination was also observed by a congressional staff member.

Toyota President, Akio Toyoda in the WaPo

Dated Tuesday, February 9th, read this op-ed published in the Washington Post.

Here’s the text of an announcement made on February 5th from the Toyota newsroom:

Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda Announces Global Quality Task Force
February 5, 2010

Toyota Motor Corporation President Akio Toyoda spoke at a press conference today in Nagoya. Mr. Toyoda expressed his deep regret for the inconvenience and concern caused to our customers. He also announced that he personally will take the lead toward improving quality around the world by establishing a global quality task force that will conduct quality improvement activities region by region.

The Committee headed by Mr. Toyoda will have a six point action plan:

1) Improve Quality Inspection Process – Toyota will once again inspect every process, while verifying the causes that led to the recalls, including quality in design, production, sales and service.

2) Enhance Customer Research – Toyota will enhance the customer information research offices in each region to collect information faster.

3) Establish an “Automotive Center of Quality Excellence” in key regions to further develop quality management professionals

4) Support from Outside Experts – Toyota will seek confirmation and evaluation from outside experts—in line with the industry’s best practices—of its newly improved quality control management, based on the above improvements.

5) Increased Communication – In addition, Toyota will work to increase the frequency of communication with regional authorities.

6) Improve regional autonomy – To provide customers with satisfying products in each and every region, Toyota has long promoted the autonomy of its regional subsidiaries. We intend to further enhance this autonomy, listen carefully to each and every customer and improve quality.

Detailed information and answers to questions about issues related to recalls are available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and at the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.

Toyota’s official press release statement on the Prius Family

Straight from Toyota to you…

DETROIT, January 11, 2010—Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A, Inc., today unveiled the FT-CH dedicated hybrid concept at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. The FT-CH is a concept that would address Toyota’s stated strategy to offer a wider variety of conventional hybrid choices to its customers, as it begins to introduce plug-in hybrids (PHVs) and battery electrics (BEVs) in model year 2012, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles (FCHVs) in 2015 in global markets. Read the rest of this entry »

Revision

Toyota sent out an email yesterday notifying everyone that the official MPG for the 2010 Prius had changed. The new numbers (changed by 1 MPG) are 51 city, 48 highway for a combined 50 MPG. Of course, the average hasn’t changed, just the city/highway numbers.

You want to be one of the first to drive the new 3G 2010 Prius?

Now you have a chance…

The Prius Team would like to extend a few extra Prius Connection invitations to our online enthusiasts. For those of you who reside in the Greater Los Angeles and San Francisco areas, we’re offering the opportunity to get well-acquainted with the 2010 Prius before it’s available to the general public. In fact, for these events, there’s a special surprise planned so follow the link below if you’d like to be considered to attend. (Please note: These events are intended for local residents and Toyota is not providing reimbursements for any travel incurred.)

If you’d like to be considered for one of the following local events, please click on this link to our website Prius Connection for submitting your request to attend.

Los Angeles, CA: Sunday, March 1, 2009; 11am-2pm
San Francisco, CA: Sunday, March 8, 2009; 11am-2pm

All invitation requests received in the first 48 hours of this post will be reviewed by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. All invitation decisions are the sole decision of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. Please understand that space is highly limited so we would appreciate submissions from those certain they plan to attend apply.

If you live in or near LA of SF, I highly recommend you put in a request. These are unique opportunities (as you’ve seen from the photographs I’ve posted from Detroit, Washington D.C., Chicago and New York). Don’t miss this opportunity if you can make it.

HUGE opportunity POG readers-Attend an exclusive 2010 Prius event

You have 24 hours left. The offer ends Wednesday afternoon.

These regional events are similar to the one I attended in Detroit. If you want an unparalleled opportunity to see, touch and partially disassemble* the 2010 before anyone else and you live in one of these three cities, do sign up.

This is a perfect of example of Toyota reaching out to the Prius owner who is interested in the next generation Prius like no other company has.

Here is the offer straight from Toyota….

The Prius Team would like to extend a few extra Prius Connection invitations to our online enthusiasts. For those of you who reside in the Washington, DC, New York City or Chicago areas, we’re offering the opportunity to get well-acquainted with the 2010 Prius before it’s available to the general public. (Please note: These events are intended for local residents and Toyota is not providing reimbursements for any travel incurred.)

If you’d like to be considered for one of the following local events, please click on this link to our website Prius Connection for submitting your request to attend.

Washington, DC: Monday, February 2, 2009; 6-9pm
New York, NY: Thursday, February 5, 2009; 6-9pm
Chicago, IL: Tuesday, February 10, 2009; 6-9pm

All invitation requests received in the first 48 hours of this post will be reviewed by Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. All invitation decisions are the sole decision of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. Please understand that space is highly limited so we would appreciate submissions from those certain they plan to attend apply.

And if you do decide to go and Toyota sends you an invite, please drop me a line. I’d love to know what you thought of the car and the event.

Good luck POG readers!

*Just kidding on the “partially disassemble” part

Not quite the comeback we’d hoped for…and more

Portland RAV4-EV Program Tops List of Toyota Sustainable Mobility Initiatives

Inc., made a series of environmental announcements at its “Sustainable
Mobility Seminar” here today, including a plan to put four off-lease RAV4
electric vehicles into operation in the Portland-area. The RAV4-EVs will
help the city and the state of Oregon develop an electric-charging
infrastructure in preparation for the arrival of future zero- and
low-emission vehicles.

The Toyota Sustainable Mobility Seminar featured a series of
presentations by leading third party experts and company executives. Topics
included: peak liquid oil; the nexus of water land use and energy;
intelligent transportation systems; the CAFE and regulatory environment;
urban design and green building initiatives.

Portland State University will develop a program to use the four
RAV4-EVs as station cars to shuttle people from mass-transit terminals to
downtown and suburban locations. Portland General Electric (PGE) recently
went on-line with its first free-standing public electric-recharging
station and has announced the installation of five additional plug-in
charging stations.

I would love to see the RAV4 back on sale to everyone. It’s a cool vehicle and it would be good to see Toyota out there with an EV for sale.

Toyota previously announced plans for a limited-volume placement
program for a new lithium-battery powered plug-in hybrid vehicle that will
be leased to fleet customers beginning in late 2009 in Japan, Europe and
North America. In addition, the company also has announced plans to launch
an all-new battery electric vehicle commuter car in the early 2010s.

“It’s obvious that the next several years will see a growing number of
low-emission and no-emission vehicle options, particularly electric and
hybrid vehicles,” said George Beard of PSU’s Mark O. Hatfield School of
Government. “Our region’s position in renewable energy and its leadership
reputation in urban sustainability make this partnership a natural for all
involved.”

Other announcements made at the Sustainable Mobility Seminar included:

— Toyota plans to display a CNG-powered Camry hybrid concept vehicle
at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

— The largest single roof solar power system in North America that
will go into operation in early October at Toyota’s North American Parts
Center California, supplying nearly 60 percent of its electricity needs.
The system will cover nearly four football fields and avoid carbon dioxide
emissions of about 6.4 million pounds annually, equivalent to the annual
CO2 emissions from energy use of 255 homes.

— Five more Toyota dealerships are poised to receive Leadership in
Energy and Environment Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green
Building Council (USGBC) before the end of the year and as many as 10 more
could be certified in 2009. To date, two Toyota dealerships are the only
dealerships in the country to have received LEED certification.

— A more than 10 percent reduction in the cost of replacement hybrid
vehicles batteries. In addition, Toyota is studying the business case for
remanufacturing HV batteries in North America to further lower replacement
costs.

Those speaking at the conference included Dr. Peter Wells from NetFlex
Petroleum Consultants, Dr. Tim Barnett from Scipps Institute, Dr. John A.
Merson from Sandia National Laborites, Dr. Jan Kreider from the University
of Colorado and Gordan Feller from the Urban Age Institute.

Best MPG overall?

Need you ask?

Toyota Offers the Best Overall Average Fuel Economy of any Full-Line Automaker
By Toyota

TORRANCE, CALIF., JUNE 10 — Through advances in engine design and hybrid technology, Toyota has a wide selection of fuel-sipping cars and the best overall average fuel economy of any full-line manufacturer.*

With gas prices at an all-time high, Toyota has seven models with EPA-rated highway fuel economy of 30 miles per gallon (mpg) or higher such as the four-cylinder Camry, Camry Hybrid (counted as separate model), Solara, Corolla, Matrix, Yaris and Prius. America’s favorite hybrid, the Toyota Prius, is the company’s highest-mileage vehicle with an EPA highway rating of 45 mpg.

With the addition of the fuel-efficient Scion xD model, the total number increases to eight models.

Among the technological advances contributing to Toyota’s fuel economy
numbers are Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive(R), variable valve timing with
intelligence (VVT-i), improvements in fuel injection technology, Toyota’s
drive by wire system, transmission enhancements and lighter weight vehicle
materials.
MODEL EPA HWY RATING
4-CYL. CAMRY 31 mpg
CAMRY HYBRID 34 mpg
SOLARA 31 mpg
COROLLA 35 to 37 mpg
MATRIX 31 to 33 mpg
YARIS 35 to 36 mpg
PRIUS 45 mpg
SCION xD 32 to 33 mpg

*According to Corporate Average Fuel Economy filed with NHTSA

Congratulations to Toyota

ONE MILLIONTH HYBRID VEHICLE HITS THE AMERICAN ROAD

In December 2007, an auto dealership employee somewhere in America handed a new owner the keys to the one millionth hybrid vehicle sold in this country. In that month, industry sales of 30,892 hybrids brought the cumulative total to 1,012,442 units.

This event occurred a month after Toyota recorded the sale of its 500,000th hybrid in the United States, and only a few months after Toyota Motor Corporation reached the one-million-unit mark in global production of hybrid vehicles.

U.S. hybrid sales began with the delivery of 17 Honda Insight cars — a model now discontinued — in December 1999. Toyota’s first-generation Prius, model year 2001, entered the U.S. market with 841 sales in July 2000.

At the end of this eight-year run, more than half of all the hybrids ever sold in the United States bore the Prius marquee. Toyota’s iconic hybrid accounted for 51 percent of sales; the Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid, together with three hybrids from our corporate cousins at Lexus, brought the cumulative Toyota and Lexus market share to 72.7 percent.

Although hybrid sales have grown quickly in recent years — 35 percent of the all-time sales were made in just the past year — they accounted for only 2.2 percent of the 16.2 million cars and trucks sold in the United States in 2007. But hybrids accounted for a respectable 11.2 percent of Toyota Division sales last year, and 10.6 percent of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.’s combined deliveries of Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. In fact, Prius ended 2007 as the third-best-selling vehicle in the Toyota lineup, behind Camry and Corolla.

Looking ahead, how long will it take for the auto industry to sell its second million hybrid vehicles? It’s hard to say, considering that several manufacturers have hybrid models on the drawing board or on the test track. But if industrywide hybrid sales continue at the 2007 rate, that two millionth key will be handed to a new owner in less than 34 months.

No pictures!

TOYOTA GOES HOLLYWOOD

If you’ve ever wondered why the Toyota Prius appears in so many television programs, wonder no longer. It’s mainly because the producers of these programs want it there.

The placement of consumer products in entertainment features, known as “brand integration,” is a highly developed art. To promote its products’ exposure in movies and television, Toyota provides a fleet of vehicles that are offered on loan to film studios. With Prius, much of the placement is driven by demand.

Toyota’s first-ever branded entertainment firm, a company called Brand Arc, acts as a primary point of contact between Toyota and the entertainment industry to provide a consistent voice and face to Hollywood.

Brand Arc’s Mike Davis says, “Many of the requests we receive are for Prius. We don’t have to push it at all. Prius tends to define characters well, so it’s attractive to producers.”

Prius currently appears in shows on all the major networks, including “Moonlight,” “The New Adventures of Old Christine” and “Weeds.”

In addition, Brand Arc works closely with talent agencies, studios, producers, game developers, music companies, Web developers and network programmers as partners to help develop and create brand entertainment ideas. Brand Arc also manages and executes the production of all brand entertainment projects.

So stay tuned. You’ll see Prius and other Toyota hybrids in lots of interesting places.

A New Year’s geeting from the president of Toyota

A New Year’s Greeting from Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe

Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe

Tokyo January 1, 2008; First of all, allow me to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

I would like to mention some of our resolutions and initiatives for 2008.

The business environment has undergone major changes in the past few years. The biggest of these changes has been the increasing demand for corporate social responsibility as the result of global warming, resource depletion and other environmental issues. Environmental issues are attracting worldwide attention, an example of this being the Toyako Summit to be hosted in Japan during July of this year at which concrete discussions are to be held on the post-Kyoto Protocol framework. In the automobile industry, as well, achieving harmony with society and the earth has become a top-priority issue.

Against this backdrop, last year we announced that we would pursue three areas of sustainability as a part of our efforts to contribute to the sustainable development of society and the earth in the future. The three areas are research and development, manufacturing and social contribution. This year, we will continuously tackle measures addressing environmental issues with a focus on these three areas of sustainability.

Firstly, research and development refers to the pursuit of sustainable mobility, and we believe that it is hybrid technologies that will play a central role in achieving this. Toyota has made considerable efforts to promote the use of hybrid vehicles since the launch of the Prius in 1997. To date, we have achieved global cumulative sales of 1.25 million hybrid vehicles (as of November 2007). We estimate that the resulting reduction effect in CO2 emissions is 5 million tons. Our current goal is to achieve hybrid vehicle sales of 1 million units annually as soon as possible in the early 2010s, and, beyond that, we are committed to having a hybrid model in all Toyota vehicle series. Furthermore, we are now conducting verification tests of a plug-in hybrid vehicle in Japan, the United States and Europe and as such, are making steady progress toward commercialization.

A critical component of hybrid technology is the battery. In addition to the nickel-metal hydride batteries used in the Prius and other hybrid vehicles, we are working steadily toward the development and production of lithium-ion batteries, which offer the advantages of greater energy and output densities. In the area of energy research, we have also begun development of cellulosic ethanol using our specialized biotechnologies.

In this way, Toyota is pursuing the ideal in sustainable mobility from a comprehensive perspective that is not limited to vehicles, but also includes infrastructure and energy.

Next, in the area of sustainability in manufacturing, we are currently implementing our sustainable plant activities, which emphasize the role of nature in creating production sites that are in harmony with their natural surroundings. The Tsutsumi Plant in Japan where the Prius is manufactured has been positioned as a model plant and these activities are being conducted there.

The main feature of the sustainable plant concept is plant development from the following three perspectives: achieving groundbreaking environmental performance by introducing innovative technology and kaizen (improvement) activities; using renewable energy, including biomass and natural energy sources, such as solar power and wind power; contributing to the local community and conserving the environment by planting trees in and around plants. We recently selected model plants in various regions to expand these activities globally. In the Americas, we have designated our Mississippi plant, currently under construction, as a model plant. In Europe, the Toyota plants in the United Kingdom and France, respectively, and in Asia, the Ban Pho Plant in Thailand, have also been designated as model plants.

With respect to our social contribution activities that are designed to achieve a sustainable society, we have emphasized hands-on environmental education at the Forest of Toyota that puts participants in touch with nature, with approximately 25,000 children having participated over these past 10 years. We are also conducting vigorous afforestation activities overseas in countries such as China and the Philippines.

The various activities designed to achieve sustainability as we envision it have been entitled the Toyota Tomorrow Project. The Toyota Tomorrow Project incorporates the sentiment of making every possible effort as a company to achieve the prosperous global society of tomorrow. In the name of this vision, we hope to further enhance our activities.

We are currently very much aware that the automobile industry has reached a turning point in many senses. For example, we must respond to the expansion of markets in countries with energy resources and exhibiting significant economic growth, such as Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well as to environmental and energy issues on a global scale, including moves to strengthen regulations, such as the recently passed Corporate Average Fuel Economy bill in the United States and planned new CO2 regulations in Europe. When responding to these changes in circumstances, we recognize that it will be extremely important to make individual decisions concerning those things that must be changed and those that must be kept the same. I am always saying that “without improving quality, Toyota cannot expect to grow”, and I believe that quantitative growth is the result of improved quality. For this, we understand well that corporate management must achieve growth that maintains a balance between corporate activities and environmental preservation, as well as between volume and quality.

Canada extends hybrid rebates

Cheers to Canada for extending their hybrid rebates.

Toyota Canada welcomes the federal government’s extension of the ecoAUTO Rebate Program

TORONTO, Dec. 7 /CNW/ – Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) today commended the Government of Canada’s decision to extend the ecoAUTO Rebate Program. The program encourages Canadians to choose environmentally friendly vehicles by offering a rebate of up to $2,000 on fuel-efficient, made-for-Canada cars and trucks.

“Policy makers play an important role in shaping the value that society
places on environmental responsibility, and we’re therefore very happy that
the federal government has decided to extend this program to include 2008
models,” said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director of Toyota Canada Inc.

“Efforts to reduce society’s environmental footprint are most effective
when all stakeholders work together,” Mr. Beatty continued. “This policy
encourages both consumers and manufacturers to seek greater fuel-efficiencies, and that is exactly what we’ve done with our all-new Highlander Hybrid. The vehicle has grown in size, yet is even more fuel efficient than its predecessor. The 2008 model year Highlander Hybrid is eligible for a $1,500 ecoAUTO rebate, up $500 from the 2007 model.”

Under the ecoAUTO Rebate Program, Canadians who buy a fuel-efficient
vehicle are eligible for a federal rebate of up to $2,000. Fuel efficient
vehicles are defined as any passenger car with a Transport Canada combined city/highway fuel efficiency rating of 6.5L/100km or less, and any minivans, sport utility vehicles (SUVs) or other light trucks with a rating of
8.3L/100km or less.

Final eligibility is determined by the federal government and published
on Transport Canada’s website. For the 2008 model year, Toyota has a large selection of vehicles that qualify for rebates. These include:

<<
- The Toyota Prius - $2,000 federal rebate for the world's most popular
gasoline-electric hybrid;

- The Toyota Camry Hybrid - $1,500 federal rebate for the fuel-
efficient, emissions-friendly edition of Toyota's best-selling
passenger car in North America;

- The Toyota Yaris - $1,000 federal rebate on the euro-styled
subcompact, available with a Hatch or with a Trunk;

- The Toyota Corolla - $1,000 federal rebate on the manual-
transmission-equipped model of the Canadian-built compact;

- The Toyota Highlander Hybrid - $1,500 federal rebate on the all-new
intermediate hybrid SUV, up $500 from the 2007 model year ecoAuto
rebate;

- The Lexus RX 400h - $1,500 federal rebate on the Lexus luxury hybrid
SUV.
>>

In addition, many Toyota and Lexus vehicles are eligible for other
environment-driven initiatives. These include sales tax rebates on hybrid
vehicles, which are available in a number of provinces.

Made-for-Canada Toyota and Lexus vehicles also qualify for a number of
flexible, open and valuable incentives – from price repositioning on select
2008 models and very attractive financing and leasing rates on many 2008 and 2007 cars, trucks and SUVs, to gas gift cards/cash equivalent discounts and automatic enrollment in roadside assistance programs. Incentives vary by model; for details, please visit your local Canadian Toyota or Lexus Dealer.