Manufacture has starts again at Toyota's shared business enterprise auto factory in China after it was stops the progress for a couple of weeks because of the fatal earthquake struck near to the place.

 

 

Toyota Motor Corporation combined venture together with Chinese automaker FAW Group has just resumed the morning shift and is getting things "one step at a time" before starting the night shift, said Toyota corporation spokesman Paul Nolasco, based in Tokyo.

Good new is, nobody of the member of staff ware wounded and every family associates were accounted for, but Toyota Corporation required verifying the equipment, to ensure and know the damage and the well-being of their employees before proclaiming the go-signal to re-establish the production.

This joint business enterprise manufactures the Coaster microbuses plus Prado sport utility automobile.

Toyota vanished creation of 380 automobiles more than a one-week work stoppage, Nolasco said. The factory constructs more or less 80 automobiles a day.

Nolasco noted that the loss is not great for Toyota, Japan's biggest automaker, which makes about 9.5 million vehicles a year.

Nolasco says "We're not in rush to start churning those vehicles out," adding that the corporation was observing probable effects of the earthquake on the value of the stuff or products.

The factory did not experience much smash up from the earthquake, but there was a break in part of the flooring in the painting line.

Toyota Motors made up their mind to delay the launching of its $1.3 billion production site in Tupelo, Mississippi by a few months from late 2010 to spring 2010 due of down economy, slow SUV sales, and the downing dollar, as Associated Press reported. The plant is estimated to manufacture a150,000 Highlander crossovers this year. Overall, the reiterated plan is being responsible of failing sales figures, Toyota Motor said last Thursday.

Toyota's U.S. sales have reduced in seven compare to the last nine months, appointing the automaker's statement past week that it considers its yearly sales and earnings will regrets in 2008 for the record in this years. In addition, Toyota Motors got an idea that an annual decline in sales was past nine years, with the final fall-down in profits next seven years ago.

"For our community college instructors to learn how to teach that, to learn it on the newest, most sophisticated equipment, will be a boon for Mississippi," Barbour said in response to questions during a news conference at the state Capitol.

"We made adjustments within a certain range of time," Kinoshita said. "The change wasn't that critical."

Mississippi policymakers permitted an inducement package in 2007 that take account of $293.9 million for Toyota, much of which will wrap costs for road and rail network, water and sewer lines for the plant in the vicinity of Tupelo. The deal also has $30 million from the situation for top-tier Toyota providers and $60 million from local administration for land accomplishments and water supply.

In additional information, Nissan build up Mississippi's foremost auto manufacturing factory in Canton, near north of Jackson, in 2003.

The Toyota Matrix, the muscular five-door automobile that help out  reclassify the concept of a crossover utility vehicle, for the 2009 production it has been redesigned to presents good performance for driver satisfaction

 

 

 

According to Tim Morrison, Toyota Division Corporate Marketing Manager. " This Toyota Matrix concept is similar on blending the functionality of an SUV, the design, presentation and performance of a sports car combined with a reasonably priced compact sedan," "For 2009, it's all that, and more. It may have the body framework of a five-door hatch, but it comes commonly in a two-door sports car."

Improvement of the 2009 Toyota Matrix centered their plan on better exterior coupe designing through improved under-the-hood utility and enhanced dynamic performance. It was finished broader with a lower posture compare to the latest model while preserving its old interior space. Finish product comes in a sporty, lively shape that can holds up to five persons with a comfortable ride. As an effect of significant adjustments to the Matrix's design, the theme is elegant and energetic. The style shows a low center of gravity, plus a little style like a coupe with a fun-to-drive icon. This vehicle has curved back windows and continuous quality lines that clearly you can see starting the front grille up to the A-pillar.

Standard, S and the XRS Matrix are the three obtainable grades, And Matrix will presents the selection of all-wheel drive (AWD) together with S grade. The S along with the XRS production merges a frontage underbody spoiler through a big mesh fog lamp bezel plus rear underbody spoiler. Most of the XRS production will have a usual rear deck spoiler.

 

 

 

Any expansion of the Woodstock assembly plant will occur only if the work is earned.

The high cost of doing business in Canada today will not stop an expansion of Toyota's Woodstock assembly plant, officials with the Japanese automaker said.

Canada has become the most costly country for Toyota to assemble vehicles in, but the Japanese giant has a strategy which is not swayed by current market conditions, said Toyota executives

"Toyota's philosophy is to make the investment in the long term, not the short term," Yoichi Tomihara, Toyota Canada president, said from the floor of the Canadian International Auto Show at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, where he was attending a media preview. "It will not disturb our future plans."

The automotive industry has been rife with rumors Toyota is already planning an expansion of its $1.1-billion Woodstock assembly plant that will begin producing RAV4s this fall. Such speculation includes an engine plant being added, and another of a small Lexus crossover utility vehicle built on the RAV4 platform.

However, any growth will occur only after the plant is operating -- and earns the additional work, said Tomihara. "The new factory gives us enough production capacity in the short term. We have no concrete plans for expansion."

Stephen Beatty, managing director for Toyota, also played down the rumors agreeing the plant must first open, and perform, before it can expand.

At the auto show Toyota also gave its new-look Corolla and Matrix, assembled in Cambridge, their Canadian debut. "We want to make then a roaring success, and the plants here producing them are our best option," said Beatty.

Tony Faria, business professor at the University of Windsor and an expert in the automotive industry, said Toyota's costs are lower than the traditional Big Three because it is a non-union environment, and he agreed additional investment is likely in Canada.

"They may twin Woodstock just as they did Cambridge, not immediately, but I would fully expect they will at some time," said Faria.

[credit: London Free Press]

Toyota is looking to take advantage of the escalating growth in the newly (re)emerging BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and eventually expand its sales and production, according to Business Week.

But the Japanese automaker will be derailing the production of one car. Uh-huh. Toyota said it is not ready to market the IQ Russia just yet. The car is oftentimes compared with Tata Motors Nano, the would-be cheapest car worldwide.

Alain Dujardyn, Toyota Europe spokesman, said the iQ and Nano have "completely different designs and a different market positioning." While the Nano's business model is certainly new, Dujardyn said the components will remain very traditional. The Toyota iQ, meanwhile, will present a model which incorporates a great deal of engineering innovation.

In fact, Toyota Motor Europe Executive Vice President Thierry Dombreval dubbed the new model a "revo­lutionary packa­ge [that] will have the same sort of impact on the market that Toyota hybrid technology introduced to the world of powertrains."

Despite the fact that Toyota may be looking to advance in emerging economies, he said the particular iQ model is conceived at least at this point for urban environments in Japan and Europe, reported The Moscow News.

The iQ will bear a price sticker which is much more than the Nano. Dujardyn confirmed that the model would "meet the requirements of more affluent customers than will the Nano. Its design includes a higher level of refinement and sophistication, including an innovative navigation system."

The latest version of the iQ will be launched at this year’s International Motor Show in Geneva.

After a dismal season last year, Toyota's Formula One team is looking to make improvements this year.  They still have the service of Jarno Trulli.  Trulli's teammate last year, Ralf Schumacher, left the team after the last race last season.  GP2 king Timo Glock will be driving alongside Trulli this year and the two showed what they can do in Valencia after they both tested the newest Formula One car of the team.

Of the two, Trulli is the faster driver placing twelfth overall after 69 laps.  The Italian had this to say:  "It was a tricky day, as usual here in Valencia. It is always quite hard to reach a conclusion on a track where conditions change rapidly from run to run but it was important to get more data and more idea about the new car. I tried some set-up changes and development work testing aerodynamics. I am pretty happy with what we have achieved but we know there is still room for improvement so we will continue to work hard. We did quite a lot of laps today which was the plan and it was good to see the new car continues to be reliable."

Glock meanwhile posted the 14th fastest lap time covering 80 laps.  The German driver said:  "Today went okay and we continued where we left off in Jerez last week by getting more data about how the new car reacts to various set-up changes. I believe we have made a step forward with the TF108 compared to last year’s car. We tried several different set-ups and we are pretty happy with the results, which show we are making progress. However, there is still plenty of work to do and we will push hard tomorrow and Thursday to get the most out of our time at Valencia."

Hopefully, these two drivers will finally give Toyota its much awaited win in Formula One.

 

Toyota Boshoku America (TBA) leaders confirmed the new affiliation of two of its sister automotive parts production subordinates situated in Northeast Mexico.

According to the Auto Channel, Toyota Boshoku is aspiring to generate a competent business management organization through a reinforced partnership within group companies. These consist of creating tactical regional head headquarters which provide as leaders in each place of the world. The Toyota Boshoku America region is consists of North, Central and South America.

The TBA companies in partnership are Toyota Boshoku Monterrey, S.A. de C.V. (TBMA Santa Catarina in Nuevo Leon) which makes seat covers for Toyota Motor's Sienna; and Araco de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. (Ramos Arizpe in Coahuila) which manufactures seats for General Motors' Chevrolet HHR, Chevy Tahoe, and GMC Yukon units.

The joint venture contract was made effective on January 1, 2008. As a merging corporation of TBMO, the company is named TB de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. just recently.

The Outline of the recently merged Joint Venture:
1. Company Name: TB DE MEXICO, S.A. DE C.V.
2. Established: January 1, 2008
3. Location: Ramos Arizpe, Coahuila, Mexico
4. President: Hisashi Mori
5. Capital: $1.8 Million USD (20,088,000 pesos)*
6. Investment Ratio: Toyota Boshoku America, Inc. - 98% / Toyota Tsusho Corp. - 2%

7. Products: Automotive Seats, Seat Covers
8. Sales: $119 Million USD (1,299,000,000 pesos)
9. Employee: Approx. 450 (2008 plan)
             * Exchange rate: 1 peso = 0.09 USD

 

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. brings back the old school compact pickup truck spirit with their newest and splendid A-BAT concept! According to the Auto Channel, the A-Bat concept is a versatile, spacious, stylish one-of-a-kind modern truck. The A-BAT will have its public appearance in Detroit at the 2008 North American International Auto Show starting next week, Jan. 14, 2008.
 
"Driving from beyond the suburbs to the city is a way of life for many people. We've taken Toyota's truck heritage to a different level by envisioning a vehicle capable of maneuvering the suburbs as well as dirt roads. This compact truck is as comfortable for long commutes as it is for road trips. It can accommodate outdoor toys and home improvement supplies. Plus, customers benefit from the hybrid powertrain's low emissions and fuel economy," says Kevin Hunter, the president of Calty Design Research, Inc.

"We studied the 'trapezoid' silhouette from the side profile of the Toyota Prius and applied it to create an entirely new truck image,” expresses creative designer Matt Sperling.

"The bold grille showcases Toyota's reverse trapezoid and T-face theme in a new way. The bed is defined by the C-pillar and is clearly separated from the cab to allow it to stand out from the rest of the profile,” Calty Project Chief Designer Ian Cartabiano proclaimed.

"The image of a NATO all-terrain military truck inspired us to keep the occupants as far forward as possible to maximize rear bed capacity in this compact package," stated Sperling.

 

With the launch of much bigger Tundra, analysts in the auto industry predicted the pickup with pose huge threat to FoMoCo’s F-Series, the Dearborn-based automaker’s bread and butter vehicle.

Wikipedia has this to say: “A much larger Tundra was introduced at the 2006 Chicago Auto Show. It had lifted cues of its smaller brother the Toyota Tacoma along with some cues from the Toyota FTX concept truck. The truck had many enhancements, such as a towing capacity of up to 10,000+ lbs, a payload capacity of over 2000 lb, and a new 6-speed automatic transmission. The second generation Tundra has 3 engines available. A new 5.7 liter V8 that produces 381 horsepower and 401 pound feet of torque, a 4.7 liter V8 is rated at 271 horsepower and 313 pound feet of torque, and 4.0 liter V6 is rated at 236 horsepower and 266 pound feet of torque.”

Although it successfully unseated the Ford to become the nation's second-highest selling automaker in 2007, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. couldn't move as many Tundras as it had hoped in the redesigned truck's inaugural year, said Houston Chronicle.

"Toyota has come to the market at the exact wrong moment for large trucks." said Aaron Bragman, a Troy, Mich.-based analyst for Global Insight.

Toyota said it sold 196,555 Tundras last year. The figure is 3,445 fewer than it had forecast. With gasoline and oil prices hovering near record levels, housing starts down and consumer confidence zapped, said the report.

"Like the rest of the industry, the full-size pickup segment saw its fair share of challenges in 2007," said Bob Carter, vice president and general manager of the Toyota brand for Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A.

Ford, manufacturer of the best-selling pickup the F-150, said its 2007 truck sales dropped 5%. General Motors Corp.’s truck sales, meanwhile, dived 4%.

 

Relax and wuzza all you Toyota followers because the 2008 Formula One season is on the way! I know we were all disappointed with Panasonic Toyota’s results last season. But this year, anything can happen. Who knows, this season might be for our beloved Toyota team. Anyway, in relation with the 2008 F1 season, Bridgestone is confirmed as the official supplier of racing tires in the next three seasons of the greatest race event in the planet!

According to my source, it’s official that Bridgestone Motorsport have signed a three year contact with the Federation Internationale de L'Automobile (FIA) from 1 January 2008 which will feature Bridgestone as the Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship.

“Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship is a prestigious honour for Bridgestone and we await the start of the 2008 season with great anticipation. Our participation in Formula One is a core element of our company's expansion and development and this is an exciting step for us as a company,” says Hiroshi Yasukawa, the Director of Bridgestone Motorsport.

"To be chosen by the FIA as the 'Official Tyre Supplier to the FIA Formula One World Championship' shows the high regard we are held in by the sport in which we have participated since 1997. We will continue to use Formula One as a global platform for promoting our brand and look forward to continuing our collaboration with the FIA Foundation to promote the 'Think Before You Drive' road safety campaign, the agreement for which has also recently been confirmed for the next three years."

"As the sole tyre supplier to Formula One in 2007, we all saw a dramatic and exciting season with very close competition. We strived to treat all teams with fairness and we believe we did a good job. It was an epic battle with Kimi Raikkonen crowned the drivers' champion at the final round and in our role as 'Official Tyre Supplier' we now look forward with great anticipation to some equally exciting battles over the next three seasons," he concluded.