Mark Clarkson asked:


Not much of a surprise for me and perhaps for dozens of other car and vehicle aficionados. Sure, the Toyota Motor Corporation’s Toyota Camry has once again been recognized to be quite a remarkable car. This time, the recognition comes from the Motor Trend magazine and it gave the Toyota Camry the Car of the Year award for 2007.

It was sure not just any kind of competition. You see, the Toyota Camry was up against various car models. In fact, it had to go through close scrutiny and it had some other twenty seven other vehicle models to compete with. Yes, the Toyota Camry was up against other vehicles from various auto makers like General Motors, Nissan, and Honda.

According to Motor Trend, as part of its recognition for such a reliable and trusted vehicle, it has also honored all of the vehicles under the Toyota Camry name for the model year 2007. The list of Toyota Camry versions for 2007 even includes a hybrid vehicle that runs on gasoline and electricity. Angus MacKenzie is the editor in chief of Motor Trend and in a statement he delivered a couple of days back, he says, “Creating an innovative, engaging automobile with broad mainstream appeal is one of the toughest tasks facing any automaker. The Camry is the one car rival automakers all wish they could build.”

As on the Toyota Motor Corporation’s end, it was Mike Michels, the spokesperson for the company, who shared the company’s view: “It’s hard to quantify the effect on sales, but the Motor Trend award has a lot of corollary benefits. This really energizes the sales operation, the dealers, and for internal morale it’s a wonderful thing.” Toyota is also the creator of other vehicle models like the Toyota Corolla and also of vehicle products like Toyota T100 body parts.

So what was the Toyota Camry up against? Well, the list of contenders that the Toyota Camry had to deal with included the Saturn Aura which is a sedan from GM. Also, some vehicles from the Nissan line also competed against the Toyota Camry. These include the sedans Nissan Altima, Nissan Sentra, and the Infiniti G35.



Create a video blog

Mike Bartley asked:


The Toyota Motor Corp., the second largest automaker around the globe, is planning to build a plant in Mississippi. Experts in the industry say that the move of the automaker is aimed at expanding its operations in the United States at the same time increasing political influence in the territory.

As the presence increases, Toyota tunes in. The Japanese automaker is expected to use the clout to rival the Detroit’s automakers on some issues. Toyota could also use the increased Capitol Hill lobbying power to give it a boost in its competitive lead over the General Motors Corp., the Ford Motor Co. and the DaimlerChrysler AG.

“We don’t agree with them on everything,” said Josephine Cooper, the vice president of government relations for Toyota Motor North America. “But our goal is to work together because it’s usually better to be on the same page.” Cooper spearheads an in-house lobbying office of seven people in Washington. The Japanese automaker also has hired some of the city’s leading lobbying firms to aid in the realization of goals.

Toyota has built plants in Kentucky and Indiana. These plants integrate quality auto parts and accessories like the Toyota hawk brakes to its powerful lineup. The automaker is narrowing the gap with domestic car manufacturers in regard to spending on lobbying.

In 2004, Toyota spent approximately $2.4 million on lobbying. In 2005, its lobbying investment increased to $3.4 million, and last year it rose to $4.6 million. In 2006, GM spent $8.7 million and Ford spent $9.1 million to influence policy and legislation in Washington.

For the first time, the Japanese automaker also is considering the creation of a political action committee. Last year, GM’s PAC spent over $1 million and Ford’s spent over $845,000 to influence lawmakers in Washington.

One strong factor behind Toyota’s quest of greater political clout may be the possibility that the Big Three, staggered by slumping sales, will ask Congress for subsidies or a bailout, said Joan Claybrook, the president of the Public Citizen watchdog group in Washington. She also said that Toyota’s growing presence in the United States forces it to become more involved in politics. “They just realize they need to be more tuned in,” Claybrook said.

Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant is responsible for the assembly of the Toyota Camry sedan, including the new hybrid model, along with the Avalon sedan and Solara coupe. The Toyota Princeton, Ind. Plant, on the other hand, makes the Tundra pickup, Sienna minivan and Toyota Sequoia SUV.

For 2007, top issues for both the American and Japanese automakers include whether to raise mileage standards for cars and trucks. Another main issue is whether carbon emissions should be capped to combat global warming. On both issues, Toyota has the edge.

Toyota agrees with U.S. automakers that the administration, not Congress, should determine fuel economy standards. But the Japanese automaker has embraced President Bush’s proposal last year to change how fuel economy is determined while U.S. automakers strongly refuted it.

Toyota also is better positioned than Detroit automakers to deal with possible moves in Congress to tighten regulation of carbon dioxide emissions, with use of hybrid fuel technology in some models. “There’s a huge gap between the cleanest and dirtiest automakers,” said Don MacKenzie, the author of the Union of Concerned Scientists report. “Toyota’s ranking shows that size is no excuse for a dirty fleet.”



Kansieo.com

AssociatedPress asked:

From new lithium ion batteries to updated hybrids, automakers are looking to step up the fuel efficiency of their cars. Toyota announced that the latest Prius model will get a combined 50 miles to the gallon. (Jan. 12)