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...

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 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 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 donates $20M to Audubon
DETROIT -- Toyota Motor Corp. is giving the National Audubon Society $20 million for conservation projects and training of environmental leaders. The Audubon Society said today the grant is the largest in its 103-year history. The grant will fund the TogetherGreen program for five years. Toyota says it also will encourage its 36,000 U.S. employees to volunteer for the Audubon Society. The donation could help Toyota burnish its green credentials after facing criticism last fall from the Natural Resources...

Toyota establishes $100m U.S. research facility
Toyota today announced the establishment of a new North American research facility located in Ann Arbour, Michigan, which will spearhead research on advanced areas including powertrain technologies, energy systems, and partnerships with government and academia. The carmaker plans to spend $100 million during the next four years, no doubt to speed up development of technologies to reduce carbon emissions and improve fuel efficiency in light of stricter regulations set to roll in over the next decade. The...

Ann Arbor gets Toyota center
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to establish a North American research institute in Ann Arbor, where the automaker will spend $100 million over the next four years to study ways to improve vehicle safety and efficiency, the company said Tuesday. The Toyota Research Institute of North America initially will employ 35 researchers and staff, with plans to add 10 researchers this year and 20 more by 2010, the automaker said. Noboru Kikuchi, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Michigan, will...

Detroit Big Three and Toyota post double-digit March sales drops
Detroit's Big Three automakers and Toyota all posted double-digit U.S. sales declines in March, mostly on sliding demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles. General Motors Corp. said it delivered 282,732 vehicles in the month, down 19.1 percent from 349,866 a year ago. Hardest-hit were full-sized trucks, offset by demand for smaller sedans, crossovers and the popular Cadillac CTS. Chrysler LLC sold 166,386 units in March, down 19.4 percent from 206,435 in 2006. The Chrysler Sebring, Jeep Compass and...

Toyota to create a North American research institute in Michigan
ANN ARBOR -- Toyota Motor Corp. says it's establishing a North American research institute in Washtenaw County and plans to spend $100 million during the next four years on advanced research activity. The Japanese automaker said Tuesday in a statement the Toyota Research Institute of North America initially will employ 35 researchers and staff and plans to add 10 researchers this year and 20 more by 2010. Toyota says the institute will be directed by Noboru Kikuchi, a mechanical engineering professor at...

Toyota sets up new research institute in U.S.A.
In welcomed news for the residents of Michigan, Toyota announced today an investment of $100 million over the next four years on an advanced research activity in their backyard. The funding will be centered around the newly established Toyota Research Institute of North America TRI-NA, which is tasked with accelerating advanced research on energy and the environment, safety, and mobility infrastructure. TRI-NA will not build new facilities, however, though it will utilize existing space in Ann Arbor...