Toyota Boshuku Japan, Toyota’s main automotive interior systems supplier, is spending 1.2 billion baht to purchase a local automotive seat producer, the Thai Automotive Seating and Interior Co (TASI).

Earlier, Toyota Boshuku held a stake of 50 percent in TASI. NHK Spring in Thailand with 35 percent and NHK Spring Japan are other stake holders. The deal has been made through Toyota Boshuku Asia Co., Toyota Boshuku’s Thai operation. Toyota Boshuku Asia general manager Akihiko Shimanouchi said that Toyota Boshuku Japan and Toyota Boshuku Asia would hold 50 percent each in TASI after the acquisition.

Toyota Boshuku Asia’s capital that would be raised to 210 million baht this month from 30 million would finance the investment. Operating cash flow and loans would also be the sources of 500 million baht funds.

Back in 2005, my little red Celica gave up the ghost. I loved that car, but after 178,000 miles in four years, it was time to get a new vehicle. Since it had been such a great car, I decided to simply get a new one. I walked into the Toyota dealership ready to buy. It was then that my nightmare began. Here’s what I learned:

1) Poor greetings anger the customer. I walked straight into the dealership, dressed nicely, with checkbook in hand. No one greeted me. Several salesmen avoided eye contact. I finally went to the sales manager’s desk (positioned to overlook the whole showroom like a prison guard) and he told me to wait, that someone would be with me in a minute and returned to his phone call. Hello! Show some enthusiasm, salespeople! I’m about to make a major purchase and you don’t seem to give a damn! Was it because I was a woman with no man to help poor little ‘ol me buy a car? Or was it because they didn’t know how to greet anyone? We’ll never know.

An automotive sales index online has identified the Toyota Tundra as one of the best-selling vehicles built in America and its partly attributed to the new Toyota Motor Manufacturing Texas Inc. plant in San Antonio.

And for the first time, the Tundra which was built at the facilities in Princeton, Ind., and San Antonio with parts made like the Toyota control arm bushing kits primarily in American factories has finally made it into Cars.com’s American Made Index.

Every year the American Made Index identifies the top 10 models of vehicles that are in essence American and that pertains to where parts are produced and also with regards to the vehicles popularity among cars.com buyers.

So far the top produced “American” vehicle according to the index is the Ford F-150 which is primarily assembled in Claycomo, Mo., and Dearborn, Mich. The Toyota Camry on the other hand which is assembled in Georgetown, Ky., and Lafayette, Ind., ranked second only.

Joining a chorus of ailing U.S. automakers, Toyota Motor Co. (TM) yesterday (Monday) forecast its first operating loss in 71 years on plummeting demand and sharp appreciation of the Japanese yen. The announcement prompted Moody’s Investors Service to consider downgrading the company’s top-rated credit.

But the news may have bigger implications for Japan’s entire economy, as the country’s exports continue to take a beating from sagging worldwide demand for its products.

Japanese exports plunged 26.7% in November from a year ago. Shipments to the U.S. slid an unprecedented 34%, Japan’s Finance Ministry said. A strong yen, which makes Japanese goods more expensive, combined with deflated consumer spending, is hammering Japanese exporters.

Toyota will post a $1.7 billion (150 billion yen) loss in the year through March, it said in a statement, scrapping a previous forecast of a $6.6 billion. The last time Toyota posted an operating loss was in the year ended March 1938, spokesman Hideaki Homma told Bloomberg News.

The New York International Auto Show (NYIAS) has already opened its doors and in connection with the opening ceremonies, Toyota showed its concern for the American soldiers who have fought in wars and places of chaos around the world.

At the opening ceremonies of this car show in the Big Apple, two modified Toyota vehicles were presented to two young veterans of the Iraqi war and both of these soldiers have sustained leg injuries. Both soldiers are wounded by IED or improvised explosive devices at some stage in their tour of duty in Iraq. The explosive devices caused leg amputation for the two young soldiers.

U.S. Army veteran Luis Puertas of Long Island City, Queens is one of the two young veterans presented with a modified Toyota vehicle. The 20-year old veteran lost both his legs while on tour of duty in Iraq when an improvised explosive device was detonated under his Humvee while he was stationed in Baghdad. Toyota presented him with a wheelchair-accessible 2007 Toyota Sienna Rampvan. The vehicle is modified to suit Luis’ need for mobility.

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.

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.

The Nashville International Auto Show is about to open its doors to the public on the sixth of April. In connection with this, the Toyota Motor Corporation announced that they will be bringing their “Highway to the Future: Mobile Hybrid Experience” to the said event.

The Japanese car manufacturer announced the schedule of their tour on the 26th of March. The company says that the experience is aimed to let consumers experience driving their hybrid vehicles like the very popular Toyota Prius aside from the Camry and Highlander hybrid vehicles. These entire three models will come to feature and sport around the company’s Hybrid Synergy Drive System which allows them to make the most of the capability of the electric motor integrated into their vehicles.