Toyota the producer of high quality Toyota parking brake cables will join the marathon that will take place on the streets of New York. The Japanese automaker and currently the world’s largest automaker have signed a three-year contract to become the official and sole auto sponsor at both the ING New York City Marathon and the NYC Half Marathon presented by Nike. The financial portions of the deal were not disclosed but the Japanese automaker will feature its hybrid platform, including the Prius, Highlander SUV and the Camry Hybrid, via the regional TV and print, on-and off-course.

The contract would call for the operational usage such as transporting athletes and officials, and aside from the monetary prize both the men and women winners at the ING New York City Marathon will receive a Prius.

The coalition will also set off in support of the NYC Half Marathon presented by Nike on Aug. 5 while the ING New York City Marathon will be held on Nov. 4. The previous sponsor of the said events was DaimlerChrysler’s Smart microcompact in 2005.

According to Bryan Riss, Toyota’s vehicle operations manager, New York region, “Prius is our glamour hybrid—it gets the most attention from the Hollywood crowd—but we want to support our entire [hybrid] line.”

Riss also said that Toyota’s long-term plan is to have a hybrid for each model that the company builds and with this new alliance it will help to make consumers aware of the importance of hybrid vehicles. Avis, which is also one of the sponsors of the New York Marathon, said that it would include Prius as a car rental option beginning this summer.
Ann Hinegardner, svp-business development and marketing strategies at New York Road Runners, which oversees both marathons and numerous other running events year- round said, “The car category is very important to the marathon, and signing Toyota is in line with our commitment to the environment and health. Toyota plans a full activation now through November.”

The AST Dew Tour will employ several strategies in place as it embarks on its third season this week, Baltimore, Salt Lake City and Cleveland have replaced Louisville, San Jose, and Denver as tour stops. MTV has also been added to the media mix plus the tour name has been changed from the Dew Action Sports Tour with Pepsi’s Mountain Dew remaining as the title sponsor with the rest of other leading sponsors.

The schedule begins with the Panasonic Open at Baltimore on June 21-24 and runs through the PlayStation Pro at Orlando on Oct. 18-21 with top action sports athletes in BMX, motocross and skateboarding vying for points and monetary prizes.

Wade Martin, President and General Manager at the AST Dew Tour, Aurora, Ill., said, “This is the first part of our strategy to build AST [Action Sports Tour] as an umbrella brand that will encompass other events. We want AST to become what Nascar is to fans and consumers.”

He also added that the AST plans to include a US winter action sports tour and global events. The tour will also reach people via numerous outlets such as NBC and USA Network, Fuel TV, FSN radio, VOD in a potential of 30 million homes and iTUnes. New for this year on MTV and MTV2 will be the two behind-the-scenes shows and features prior to each of the tour events. Attendance in 2006 was about 250,000 which increased to 15,000 from the inaugural tour. The AST Dew Tour is owned by NBC Universal and Live Nation.

Martin further stated, “The challenge in our third year will be the same challenge in our 10th year: getting more people to attend in person, watch or access the events and support our sponsors.”

The other tour stops will include the Right Guard Open at Vleveland on July 19 to 22, Vans Invitational at Portland, Ore., on Aug. 16 to 19 and then finally the Toyota Challenge at Salt Lake City on Sept. 20 to 23.



By: Toyota USA Blog

Toyotausablog.com

The Toyota Motor Corp. is intensifying its commitment in the production of hybrids and environment-friendly auto technology. The Japanese automaker’s latest venture is the plug-in version of its iconic Prius.

Under high-load situations such as high-speed roads, Prius PHEV, the petrol engine will operate alike, leaving the car with the same aptitude to go faster and use freeways. Current converted Prius also operate in a high speed blended mode which can reduce but not eliminate petrol consumption on the freeway.

When driving in slower conditions or other light loads, the batteries will be used first in a charge-depleting mode, allowing moderate commutes at low speeds to be driven entirely on electricity. Once the batteries have been sufficiently discharged the car will automatically revert back to the charge-sustaining mode of the present Prius. Safe lithium-based batteries will be available, slashing all risk of run-away thermal conditions as seen in some laptop computer batteries.

Switzerland recently hailed the Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius as the world’s greenest car, reports Reuters.

The land of breathtaking Alps has named the Japanese automaker’s hybrid after the vehicle has recorded the highest green rating in a draft study evaluating the environmental impact of driving around 6,000 different cars, including C02 emissions which contribute to global warming.

The Swiss government said that it hopes that the list, which is still in draft form and could be revised before it is finalized next year, will persuade drivers to buy cars which have the lowest impact on the environment. Additionally, the list could also be used to impose an emissions-related tax on cars. “The goal is to modernize the fleet of cars and to make the use of natural resources as efficient as possible, so that using cars will exert less pressure on the environment,” says Adrian Aeschlimann, a spokesman for the Federal Office for the Environment.

Texas is facing a great pickup battle having Ford, Chevy, Dodge, and Toyota as contenders. As the automakers set free their most powerful pickups, the Truck Country is expected to release more steam to signal heated rivalry.

Toyota Motor Corp., meanwhile, works to lure true truckers in Texas to win over more customers. This is why it has unleashed its redesigned Tundra to steal a portion of Ford F-150’s sales. But the best-selling pickup is not the only potent rival. There is the new Chevy Silverado and Dodge Ram. Moreover, the Japanese automaker is expected to exert extra effort in order for its goal to materialize.

According to J.D. Power and Associates, Ford F-Series dived nearly 3.6 percentage points across the nation to hold 30.7 percent of the market. In Texas, the models lost 5.5 points to fall to 31.9 percent, reported the Michigan-based R.L. Polk & Co. In comparison, the Tundra, sources divulged recorded nearly 3.5 points nationwide and 3.7 in Texas in its first year since a major redesign.

“Those numbers might not seem huge, but when you consider truck buyers are second only to luxury buyers in terms of loyalty, Ford’s drop and Toyota’s climb are significant,” said Lonnie Miller, the director of industry analysis at Polk. “There’s no doubt been a very aggressive push by Toyota.”

To improve sales, the Japanese automaker entertained some drastic modifications. The automaker used improved Toyota truck parts such as the V8 engine to enhance power. Additionally, the automaker improved the pickup’s towing capacity to compete better in the segment.

What’s more, the automaker launched a number of marketing campaigns to promote the modifications made to the Tundra. And the efforts showed positive results. The numbers show the effort had some meat to it, though no-interest and cash-back incentives had more to do with the success, said Tom Libby, an analyst with J.D. Power.

“We certainly had a lot more full-size pickups traded in for Tundras in ‘07,” said Tom Shopoff, the director of truck support for Gulf States Toyota, a network of dealerships that includes statewide Tundra best-seller Fred Haas Toyota World in Spring. “We have a tremendous product.”

But Shopoff predicted the Tundra would see a bubble burst. “You’ve seen the big bubble,” he noted.

Increased competition from Toyota comes at a time when auto sales in general, and pickup sales in particular, are down, according to Houston Chronicle. Auto sales in 2007 fell 2.4 percent, and large pickups were down 2.7 percent, Libby said in an interview.

“That means more competition, which in turn means more incentives and lower prices,” Libby concluded. “The winner in all this is the consumer.”

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