Posts Tagged ‘Japanese Automaker’
2 Millionth Pre-owned Toyota Sold
Anthony Fontanelle asked:
Japanese automaker Toyota has been breaking records for a while now. It is set to become the largest automaker in the world by next year. On its way to being the largest company of its kind, Toyota has broken sales records and has celebrated milestone after milestone. Recently, the Japanese automaker celebrated yet another milestone as they have sold 2 million pre-owned Toyota vehicles in the United States since 1996.
The buyer of the 2 millionth Toyota Certified Used Vehicle is Mr. Brian Kabat of Bellevue, Washington. The two millionth Toyota Certified Used Vehicle sold to Mr. Kabat was a 2004 Toyota Sienna. Initially, Mr. Kabat was apprehensive about buying the vehicle because of the added cost of its luxury features. His grandchildren though made it easy for him to decide as they expressed their liking for the Sienna’s features.
Toyota celebrates the sale of the 2,000,000th used vehicle by reimbursing Mr. Kabat the $36,648 that he paid for the vehicle. Aside from that, Toyota will also be donating the same amount to Bellevue’s Youth Eastside Service (or YES) agency. The Japanese automaker has also earmarked $5,000 as donation to Bellevue’s Newport High School Band. All these will be handed out in a ceremony that will be held at the Bellevue dealership where the 2,000,000th used Toyota was sold earlier this year to Mr. Kabat.
Handing out the checks will be Norm Olson, the sales operation manager of Toyota Certified Used Vehicles. The YES agency is the selected charity by Bellevue dealership principal Bruce Broadus. The said organization aims to help kids and families coping with problems such as drug abuse and domestic violence. YES executive director Patti Skelton-McGougan will receive the check from Mr. Olson. For the Newport High Scholl Band, the school’s principal, Patty Siegwarth, along with band directors Matt Eisenhauaer and Ed George, will receive the donation.
“This is a landmark event,” said Olson. “No other manufacturer of a single line make has reached this sales milestone. Toyota was the first manufacturer to stipulate a vehicle history report as a part of its extensive certified used program, which includes a seven-year, 100,000 mile limited power-train warranty, roadside assistance and a 160-point inspection procedure.” Toyota’s reputation for being the manufacturer of reliable automobiles and auto parts as durable as EBC brake rotors is one of the key factors why the automaker has sold millions of used cars.
This year, more consumers are buying certified used cars from the Japanese automaker. For the first nine months of the year, sale of used cars for Toyota in the United States has increased by 5.5 percent. The automaker has sold 207,923 certified used vehicles from January to September this year.
“We have always had great experiences with Toyotas,” Mr. Kabat said. “The dealer’s commitment to service always brought us back,” he added. That goes to show that Toyota is not only depending on the reliability of their cars to attract car buyers but also makes an effort to make customers feel comfortable while dealing with them. Other perks awarded to Mr. Kabat includes a Toyota Certified Platinum service agreement, a $500 American Express gas card and a three year Toyota Car Care program.
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Japanese automaker Toyota has been breaking records for a while now. It is set to become the largest automaker in the world by next year. On its way to being the largest company of its kind, Toyota has broken sales records and has celebrated milestone after milestone. Recently, the Japanese automaker celebrated yet another milestone as they have sold 2 million pre-owned Toyota vehicles in the United States since 1996.
The buyer of the 2 millionth Toyota Certified Used Vehicle is Mr. Brian Kabat of Bellevue, Washington. The two millionth Toyota Certified Used Vehicle sold to Mr. Kabat was a 2004 Toyota Sienna. Initially, Mr. Kabat was apprehensive about buying the vehicle because of the added cost of its luxury features. His grandchildren though made it easy for him to decide as they expressed their liking for the Sienna’s features.
Toyota celebrates the sale of the 2,000,000th used vehicle by reimbursing Mr. Kabat the $36,648 that he paid for the vehicle. Aside from that, Toyota will also be donating the same amount to Bellevue’s Youth Eastside Service (or YES) agency. The Japanese automaker has also earmarked $5,000 as donation to Bellevue’s Newport High School Band. All these will be handed out in a ceremony that will be held at the Bellevue dealership where the 2,000,000th used Toyota was sold earlier this year to Mr. Kabat.
Handing out the checks will be Norm Olson, the sales operation manager of Toyota Certified Used Vehicles. The YES agency is the selected charity by Bellevue dealership principal Bruce Broadus. The said organization aims to help kids and families coping with problems such as drug abuse and domestic violence. YES executive director Patti Skelton-McGougan will receive the check from Mr. Olson. For the Newport High Scholl Band, the school’s principal, Patty Siegwarth, along with band directors Matt Eisenhauaer and Ed George, will receive the donation.
“This is a landmark event,” said Olson. “No other manufacturer of a single line make has reached this sales milestone. Toyota was the first manufacturer to stipulate a vehicle history report as a part of its extensive certified used program, which includes a seven-year, 100,000 mile limited power-train warranty, roadside assistance and a 160-point inspection procedure.” Toyota’s reputation for being the manufacturer of reliable automobiles and auto parts as durable as EBC brake rotors is one of the key factors why the automaker has sold millions of used cars.
This year, more consumers are buying certified used cars from the Japanese automaker. For the first nine months of the year, sale of used cars for Toyota in the United States has increased by 5.5 percent. The automaker has sold 207,923 certified used vehicles from January to September this year.
“We have always had great experiences with Toyotas,” Mr. Kabat said. “The dealer’s commitment to service always brought us back,” he added. That goes to show that Toyota is not only depending on the reliability of their cars to attract car buyers but also makes an effort to make customers feel comfortable while dealing with them. Other perks awarded to Mr. Kabat includes a Toyota Certified Platinum service agreement, a $500 American Express gas card and a three year Toyota Car Care program.
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Toyota Pulled Out Its Account in Saatchi
Rain Stockton asked:
Toyota the producer of Toyota Tacoma parts has pulled out its £50m UK advertising business from Saatchi & Saatchi and transfers it to CHI & Partners. The Japanese automaker is Saatchi’s second-biggest global account next to Procter & Gamble with $2.5bn advertising expense per year with UK as its only biggest European market.
It was already expected that CHI which has sold 49.9 percent of its stake to WPP earlier this year will be given the majority of the UK business. CHI has been working out to get the Toyota account since 2004 when it was appointed to handle the launching of the Aygo model across Europe. And since then the agency has been given pan-European briefs for the Corolla and the Yaris.
It is also CHI that handles the promotion of Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus across Europe. However for this year the only UK project that it has won was Toyota’s tactical advertising business.
The news of Toyota’s transfer of its ad account came at the time when Saatchi is struggling find a new UK chief executive that could replace Lee Daley, who left Saatchi to join the Manchester United as commercial director last March. According to source familiar with the issue, Saatchi’s EMEA, Asia, and Latin America Chief Executive Jim O’Mahony who has been heading the search for Daley’s replacement could now be given the responsibility for the UK agency in addition to his other duties.
The decision of Toyota to move the majority of its UK account out of Saatchi follows the changes in the company’s senior team starting last year. Toyota’s former European marketing director Jon Williams has moved to Toyota GB as commercial director earlier this year in replacement of Paul Philpott who also left to join Kia UK as managing director. Similarly, Toyota GB’s long-serving managing director Graham Smith has also left to take on a new role in Toyota Europe last year.
A source close to WPP said that the company’s chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has been keeping track of Toyota’s business for a couple of years now and the presence of CHI in the Japanese automaker’s roster was one of the primary reasons why he bought the stake in the agency.
But industry experts think that the Toyota news will not sit well with its rival automaker Ford that happens to be one of WPP’s biggest clients. Publicist-owned ZenithOptimedia is handling Toyota’s media planning and buying.
CHI founding partner Johnny Hornby refutes reports claiming that the agency has won the UK account and instead stated that the agency will take a more prominent role in Europe and also possibly in the US. He added, “As we understand it, it’s business as usual in the UK and we haven’t won the business in Europe or America, as much as we¹d love to one day.”
Toyota GB Marketing Director Mark Hall also said that they are still working with both Saatchi and CHI—at the moment there would be no changes.
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Toyota the producer of Toyota Tacoma parts has pulled out its £50m UK advertising business from Saatchi & Saatchi and transfers it to CHI & Partners. The Japanese automaker is Saatchi’s second-biggest global account next to Procter & Gamble with $2.5bn advertising expense per year with UK as its only biggest European market.
It was already expected that CHI which has sold 49.9 percent of its stake to WPP earlier this year will be given the majority of the UK business. CHI has been working out to get the Toyota account since 2004 when it was appointed to handle the launching of the Aygo model across Europe. And since then the agency has been given pan-European briefs for the Corolla and the Yaris.
It is also CHI that handles the promotion of Toyota’s luxury brand Lexus across Europe. However for this year the only UK project that it has won was Toyota’s tactical advertising business.
The news of Toyota’s transfer of its ad account came at the time when Saatchi is struggling find a new UK chief executive that could replace Lee Daley, who left Saatchi to join the Manchester United as commercial director last March. According to source familiar with the issue, Saatchi’s EMEA, Asia, and Latin America Chief Executive Jim O’Mahony who has been heading the search for Daley’s replacement could now be given the responsibility for the UK agency in addition to his other duties.
The decision of Toyota to move the majority of its UK account out of Saatchi follows the changes in the company’s senior team starting last year. Toyota’s former European marketing director Jon Williams has moved to Toyota GB as commercial director earlier this year in replacement of Paul Philpott who also left to join Kia UK as managing director. Similarly, Toyota GB’s long-serving managing director Graham Smith has also left to take on a new role in Toyota Europe last year.
A source close to WPP said that the company’s chief executive Sir Martin Sorrell has been keeping track of Toyota’s business for a couple of years now and the presence of CHI in the Japanese automaker’s roster was one of the primary reasons why he bought the stake in the agency.
But industry experts think that the Toyota news will not sit well with its rival automaker Ford that happens to be one of WPP’s biggest clients. Publicist-owned ZenithOptimedia is handling Toyota’s media planning and buying.
CHI founding partner Johnny Hornby refutes reports claiming that the agency has won the UK account and instead stated that the agency will take a more prominent role in Europe and also possibly in the US. He added, “As we understand it, it’s business as usual in the UK and we haven’t won the business in Europe or America, as much as we¹d love to one day.”
Toyota GB Marketing Director Mark Hall also said that they are still working with both Saatchi and CHI—at the moment there would be no changes.
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Toyota Trails Political Clout
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
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
What Transpires Behind the Toyota Story?
Kaye Leery asked:
Toyota Motor has obtained great public relations last week since three of Korea’s major dallies namely the Chosun IIbo, the Dong-A IIbo, and the JoongAng IIbo has released headline stories about the Japanese automaker’s Lexus plant in Japan. But Media Onul or Media Today which is a KBS TV show that examines issues in the media, has refuted the stories saying that it’s being too similar.
As a matter of fact, a headline story like that carried in a major newspaper is much more efficient in reaching consumers as compared to dozens of ads amounting to millions of won each. Last June 8, the current largest automaker in the world and producer of top-of-the-line Toyota coil springs, Toyota Motors has invited 53 journalists from 44 Japanese and foreign companies for a publicity event for its Lexus . All the journalists were based in Tokyo. They were requested to gather near the exit of Toyohashi Station in Aichi Prefecture where the plant is located. The one-way trip took an hour and 24 minutes from Tokyo by bullet train and the round trip fare was 17,000 yen or W127,000.
The journalists themselves shouldered the fare, Toyota for its part provided a bus from the station to the plant, the bus trip took about 30 minutes for which Toyota paid for the fuel.
At the bus were boxes on each seat containing a sandwich, fruit, and a bottle of mineral water. It was a lunch box from Toyota, the very same kind you get from convenience store for about 500 yen or W3,700. And if its lunch box cost about 600 yen or W4,500 including the mineral water, Toyota must have spent about 31,800 yen or W238,500 for the lunch of the reporters.
At the press conference was a table laden with Lexus caps. Each of these caps cost approximately 2,000 yen or W17,000 and if ever each of the journalists took a cap it would cost Toyota 106,000 yen or W795,000. Totaling all the expenses of Toyota for the said publicity event it will reach W1 million to bring the journalists out to it plant and that doesn’t include yet the additional amount paid by the automaker to present its car and its own employees. But of course, the journalists could have shouldered those expenses but Toyota preferred to take the responsibility of paying for the whole expenses.
And in fairness to Toyota’s officials they didn’t forced any journalists to write stories in favor of the automaker. The Korean journalists were not also seated together and didn’t compare notes just to ensure that their stories would become headliners as assumed by President Roh Moo-hyun.
After the visit at Toyota’s plant the three Korean dallies presented their stories on the same day in a similar way maybe for the same reason. That very same day the union of Hyundai Motor which is always playing catch up with Toyota in the global market went rallying to oppose the Korea-US free trade agreement.
The Media Onul reported that the “conservative media companies” shares the same view which just makes the KBS TV accurately right.
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Toyota Motor has obtained great public relations last week since three of Korea’s major dallies namely the Chosun IIbo, the Dong-A IIbo, and the JoongAng IIbo has released headline stories about the Japanese automaker’s Lexus plant in Japan. But Media Onul or Media Today which is a KBS TV show that examines issues in the media, has refuted the stories saying that it’s being too similar.
As a matter of fact, a headline story like that carried in a major newspaper is much more efficient in reaching consumers as compared to dozens of ads amounting to millions of won each. Last June 8, the current largest automaker in the world and producer of top-of-the-line Toyota coil springs, Toyota Motors has invited 53 journalists from 44 Japanese and foreign companies for a publicity event for its Lexus . All the journalists were based in Tokyo. They were requested to gather near the exit of Toyohashi Station in Aichi Prefecture where the plant is located. The one-way trip took an hour and 24 minutes from Tokyo by bullet train and the round trip fare was 17,000 yen or W127,000.
The journalists themselves shouldered the fare, Toyota for its part provided a bus from the station to the plant, the bus trip took about 30 minutes for which Toyota paid for the fuel.
At the bus were boxes on each seat containing a sandwich, fruit, and a bottle of mineral water. It was a lunch box from Toyota, the very same kind you get from convenience store for about 500 yen or W3,700. And if its lunch box cost about 600 yen or W4,500 including the mineral water, Toyota must have spent about 31,800 yen or W238,500 for the lunch of the reporters.
At the press conference was a table laden with Lexus caps. Each of these caps cost approximately 2,000 yen or W17,000 and if ever each of the journalists took a cap it would cost Toyota 106,000 yen or W795,000. Totaling all the expenses of Toyota for the said publicity event it will reach W1 million to bring the journalists out to it plant and that doesn’t include yet the additional amount paid by the automaker to present its car and its own employees. But of course, the journalists could have shouldered those expenses but Toyota preferred to take the responsibility of paying for the whole expenses.
And in fairness to Toyota’s officials they didn’t forced any journalists to write stories in favor of the automaker. The Korean journalists were not also seated together and didn’t compare notes just to ensure that their stories would become headliners as assumed by President Roh Moo-hyun.
After the visit at Toyota’s plant the three Korean dallies presented their stories on the same day in a similar way maybe for the same reason. That very same day the union of Hyundai Motor which is always playing catch up with Toyota in the global market went rallying to oppose the Korea-US free trade agreement.
The Media Onul reported that the “conservative media companies” shares the same view which just makes the KBS TV accurately right.
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