Toyota opens new shopping mall in Japan
Kids in the U.S. want computers in their cars, but kids in Japan want computers instead of cars. Add that craziness to Japan's dwindling population and popular mass-transit options and you'll understand why the Japanese car market dropped to just 5.3 million vehicles, a 27-year low. Toyota, Japan's sales leader in America, is not immune to the sales downturn, accounting for 2.26 million of those new car sales. In order to catch the attention of younger potential car-buyers, Toyota has taken drastic...

Toyota opens mall to woo Japanese buyers
YOKOHAMA, Japan -- Shiny Toyotas are lined up outside the gleaming stores and restaurants at a new Japanese shopping mall. The automaker is trying to cope with a serious problem: Young people in Japan are rapidly losing interest in cars, sending auto sales to 27-year lows. "We have to go where people congregate," said Yoichiro Ichimaru, a Toyota Motor Corp. senior managing director who oversees Japan sales. "We need to provide opportunities for people to come in contact with cars." The sprawling indoor...

Toyota shopping mall opens in Japan
In what may lead to a new trend among carmakers, the cash-rich ones at least, Toyota has opened a new shopping mall aimed at selling and promoting its cars. The new site is located in Yokohama, Japan, and features the usual assortment of restaurants and specialty stores you would find in any shopping mall. One key difference, however, is the display vehicles and dealers that litter the mall’s corridors. The mall is completely owned and operated by Toyota and only opened its doors last week. The move...

Toyota thinks outside box
Toyota likes to think of its quirky, boxy Scion as a 21st-century chariot of the soul -- not just an affordable car, but also a unique expression of the young, hip person who Toyota hopes is driving it. Now Toyota's Scion enthusiasts will have even more "me time": a marketing campaign with an underground vibe intended to show just how much their chosen transportation reflects their personality. With an eye to the social networking ethos that has made Facebook and MySpace wildly popular, Toyota will let...