TRD-Tuned FJ Cruiser Concept has Baked-in Baja Capability

Toyota's FJ Cruiser enjoys a substantial audience of off-road aficionados with a constant craving for new variations on the popular 4x4. Toyota's performance arm, TRD, is obliging them once again with a fresh take on a Baja-themed off-roader scheduled to debut on Oct. 30 at the 2012 SEMA Show.

"TRD's work on high-performance off-road variants of Toyota vehicles goes back a number of years," said Keith Dahl, Toyota's national manager of engagement marketing and motorsports. "The FJ-S is a great example of their off-road expertise."

The FJ's 4.0-liter V6 engine gets the full TRD supercharger treatment with the Twin Vortex System (TVS) and a large air-to-water intercooler. The net effect is a 30 percent increase in horsepower to 345, and a torque peak of 340 lb.-ft at 3,500 rpm, a 25 percent improvement. A custom cat-back exhaust gives aural clues to the FJ's increased urge.

The front suspension uses 60-mm Bilstein® racing shocks that provide a 1.3-inch lift, and 50-mm Bilstein® racing shocks with remote reservoirs in the rear. Sturdy 17-inch TRD Midnight Black beadlock-style wheels and BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires give the FJ a go-anywhere persona.

The exterior of the FJ-S is enhanced with a front nudge bar and rock rails, and the interior gets a two-tone leather seat treatment with FJ-S logos on the seatbacks and custom floor mats.

The FJ-S can be seen along with eight other new and unique custom-built Toyota vehicles in the Toyota display booth #24801 in Central Hall at the 2012 SEMA Show starting October 30.

SPECIFICATIONS

Engine

• 4.0-liter V6 engine
• TRD supercharger with Twin Vortices System (TVS)
• Four-lobe, high-efficiency rotor pack
• Large air-to-water intercooler
• 345 HP (30% increase) @ 3,500 rpm
• 340 lb.-ft. of torque (25% increase) @ 3,500 rpm

Drivetrain

• Five-speed manual transmission

Suspension

• Front 60-mm Bilstein® race shocks with 1.3” lift / ¾” articulation
• Rear 50-mm Bilstein® race shocks with 0" lift / 1” articulation / remote reservoirs

Interior

• Custom floor mats
• Two-tone leather interior with FJ-S logos on seatbacks

Exterior

• 17-inch TRD Midnight Black beadlock-style wheels
• BFGoodrich All-Terrain tires
• Cat-back exhaust
• Front nudge bar
• Rock rails

Courtesy of Toyota Press Room

The overbuilt Tundra from Toyota

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NASCAR’s Kyle Busch Unveils Track-Inspired Camry Dream Build

Kyle Busch, whose 104 career wins across all three of its top series make him one of NASCAR’s top drivers, is now hoping to head to the winner’s circle in a different kind of race: the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge. Busch, one of four racing stand-outs pitted against each other in the vehicle-modification build competition, took on a 2012 Toyota Camry SE and remade it into the “Rowdy Edition” Camry, named for his “Rowdy” handle on the racing circuit. The Rowdy Edition Camry is all about style and substance.

“Our approach to the build [was] to make a car with the stance, attitude and handling of a road-race car while retaining the functionality of a production Camry,” Busch said.

The modifications were carried out at Detroit Speed & Engineering (DSE) in Mooresville, N.C., under Busch’s supervision.

Among the body modifications that the Camry received to realize the proper “Rowdy” image were a hand-formed, custom wide-body kit; custom front and rear belly pans; DSE-designed and fabricated front air splitter and rear air diffuser; and a custom, true dual exhaust system.

“This looks like something we should run at Daytona and Talladega,” Busch said.

Since the official “Rowdy” colors are black, red, and white, they are predominant on both the exterior and inside, where black and red leather Lexus IS F bucket seats were installed to complete the look.

The "Rowdy Edition" Camry will premiere, along with its competitors in the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge, at Toyota's press conference at the Special Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas on Oct. 30 at 11 a.m. local time.

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer produced a Tekked-Out Prius, NHRA Funny Car driver Alexis DeJoria converted a Tundra pickup truck into a beastly desert pre-runner, and NHRA Top Fuel points leader Antron Brown modified a Sequoia for maximum speed. All four are competing for the Toyota Racing Dream Build Challenge title and a $50,000 check from Toyota to the driver’s chosen charity. A win by Busch will benefit the Kyle Busch Foundation, whose mission is to empower young men and women by fostering life experiences and helping them achieve their goals.

 

Courtesy of Toyota Pressroom

 

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Pricing Announced For 2013 Prius, Prius v and Prius Plug-In

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) announced the pricing for the eco-advanced 2013 Prius, Prius v and Prius Plug-in models. All pricing for these three 2013 Prius Family members becomes effective October 2012.

The Prius adds a style-focused Persona Series Special Edition model, adding exterior changes and equipment to a Prius Three to create a distinct visual package. The Prius Persona Special Edition includes 17-inch alloy wheels with a premium finish and offers a unique exterior color: Black Cherry Pearl. Available exterior colors for the Persona Special Edition also include Black and Blizzard Pearl. A “Persona Series” badge also helps distinguish the model. The Persona Special Edition’s interior is trimmed in charcoal-hued SofTex™ with black accents and red stitching. The steering wheel is also trimmed in SofTex material and includes a dark chrome bezel that complements the new model’s dark chrome shift knob ring and door grips. The new Persona Special Edition has a MSRP of $27,130.

The MSRP on 2013 Prius has been increased by $200 on each of the five Prius equipment levels.

The 2013 Prius v will be available in a new Seaglass Pearl exterior color. In addition, the Prius v Five will offer a SofTex-trimmed steering wheel. The Prius v has small pricing increases over 2012 pricing ranging from $100 to $155. The Prius v Two has increased from $26,550 to $26,650 for 2013, and Prius v Three pricing has increased from $27,315 to $27,415. The highly equipped Prius v Five has increased from $30,140 to $30,295.

For 2013, there are no price increases or equipment model changes for the Prius Plug-in. The Prius Plug-in first arrived in showrooms in February 2012.

The MSRP for the 2013 Prius, Prius v, and Prius Plug-in does not include the delivery, processing, and handling (DPH) fee of $ 760. The DPH fee for vehicles distributed by Southeast Toyota (SET) and Gulf States Toyota (GST) may vary.

 

**Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom

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Designed and assembled in America, the Toyota Tundra is more than ready to pull the Space Shuttle Endeavour.

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Toyota Brings Hybrids to the Living Room as First Automaker on HSN

Toyota introduced its all-new Avalon Hybrid and its hybrid vehicle lineup into millions of living rooms across America on Sunday, Oct. 7, with a “Discover Toyota” showcase that aired on multichannel retailer HSN at 12 noon, 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. EDT.

Toyota is the first auto manufacturer to appear on HSN in the more than 30 years since it was founded.

Auto experts Micah Muzio of KBB.com and Tara Weingarten of Vroomgirls.com, joined HSN's well-known hosts Marlo Smith and Brett Chuckerman to give HSN viewers an inside look at Toyota’s hybrid vehicles, including the Prius Family, Camry Hybrid, Highlander Hybrid and the all-new Toyota Avalon Hybrid.
Both the all-new Avalon and Avalon Hybrid were designed, engineered and manufactured in America.

Toyota extended an exclusive offer to HSN’s audience to register, either by calling HSN or visiting a Toyota/HSN custom site to receive a $1,000 gas card or HSN Kash upon purchasing a Toyota hybrid in the next 90 days. The site, which can be accessed at www.hsn.com/Toyota_at-5548_xa.aspx?cm_re=TVElement-_-Toyota-_-shopNow will remain live through Nov. 5.

To enhance viewers’ experience, the corresponding Toyota/HSN site featured a variety of Toyota activities, including videos, a quiz and a Toyota-themed game. Fans earned points for playing to win prizes and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win the all-new Avalon Hybrid.

“HSN has a really loyal and engaged base of viewers, so it was a natural partner to help us expose our growing lineup of hybrids to people across the country,” said Ed Laukes, vice president of marketing communications and motorsports at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “We got such an enthusiastic response from HSN’s viewers and fans, so we’ll continue to push the envelope on how we help people discover Toyota.”

After introducing the Prius in 2000, Toyota expanded its hybrid lineup to incorporate hybrid versions of popular Toyota models. Toyota has now sold nearly 75 percent of all hybrids in America.

*Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom

Click on the link below to take a closer look at how Toyota is supporting our veterans.

Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Dakota Meyer has joined Toyota and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in supporting Hiring Our Heroes, a program aimed at giving veterans and military spouses the personal branding tools needed to transition into jobs in civilian life. Click on the link below to take a closer look at how Toyota is supporting our veterans.

Watch Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris connect with this real owner as he tells his Camry story.

Why did Phil get his 2012 Camry Hybrid LE? Watch Academy Award-winning documentarian Errol Morris connect with this real owner as he tells his Camry story.

Microsoft Continues Collaboration With Toyota to Drive Its New Global Communications Infrastructure

Microsoft Corp. today announced that Toyota Motor Corp. has chosen Microsoft’s technology platforms to build its communications and collaboration infrastructure for the Toyota family of companies worldwide.

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and other affiliates in North America began the deployment of Microsoft Office 365-dedicated cloud services as their exclusive environment in June 2012. In Japan and other overseas affiliates, Toyota will be leveraging a hybrid model, with on-premises editions of Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Lync and Windows Server.

Microsoft will help Toyota provide these services to more than 200,000 employees around the world during the next two years. The goal of implementing this Microsoft platform is to better support mobile devices, reduce costs, and improve collaboration between employees with state-of-the-art enterprise social networking, conferencing, messaging and information-sharing tools.

“We continually strive to make our business stronger by improving Toyota’s organizational health, and today’s announcement to upgrade our communications is another step toward that goal,” said Shigeki Tomoyama, managing officer at Toyota. “We strongly believe that Microsoft has the most capable platform that delivers ease, excellence and efficiency required to provide the communication experience our employees expect.”

“Toyota’s decision to deploy Office 365, Exchange, SharePoint, Lync and Windows Server to its 200,000 employees worldwide is further evidence of the enterprise-class quality and scalability of the world’s most popular productivity platform, as well as another key milestone in our growing alliance together,” said Microsoft Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner. “By seamlessly integrating both cloud and on-premises environments, Toyota will enable its employees to effortlessly collaborate and communicate with each other, whether they are within the same four walls or in locations around the world.”

This announcement represents an expansion of Toyota’s collaboration with Microsoft technologies. In April 2011, Toyota and Microsoft partnered to provide next-generation telematics services using the Windows Azure cloud platform. Today’s announcement expands that initial investment and includes participation in Microsoft early adopter programs to test new products before they are released.

“I am delighted that, following the forging of our strategic agreement in 2011, Toyota has chosen the Microsoft platform to build its global IT communication infrastructure and that our two companies are further expanding their partnership as a result,” said Yasuyuki Higuchi, president and CEO, Microsoft Japan. “The building of a communication infrastructure for the 200,000-plus users in Toyota and its group companies in Japan, America and throughout the world is one of the largest projects that Microsoft has ever undertaken.”

More information about how organizations are turning to Microsoft technology is available in the Microsoft Customer Spotlight newsroom.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

*Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom

Toyota Breaks Ground for V6 Engine Expansion

Toyota broke ground today on the expansion that will support increased V6 engine production at its Huntsville, Ala., engine plant.  Community guests joined Toyota to celebrate the occasion.

 

“We are so pleased to see our plant grow yet again,” said Jim Bolte, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc. (TMMAL).  “Not only are we adding more jobs and investing in the local economy, we’re also playing a role in Toyota’s philosophy to build more engines where we sell them.  I can’t wait to see more Toyota vehicles with our engines here in our community.”

 

The $80 million investment marks the fourth expansion for TMMAL since the facility started production in 2003.  Total plant investment is expected to reach more than $700 million once the project is completed.

 

The new facility will increase capacity by 216,000 engines each year, bringing total V6 annual capacity to 362,000.  Approximately 125 new jobs will be created, increasing employment nearly 10 percent to 1,150.  The increased production will begin in March 2014.

 

Construction will begin in October on the new 300,000 sq. ft. building that will be added to the southeast corner of the existing facility in North Huntsville Industrial Park.  Total square footage at TMMAL will exceed 1.2 million once the facility is completed. 

 

Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield, U.S. Congressman Mo Brooks, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and Madison County Commissioner Mike Gillespie participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking with Bolte and TMMAL Maintenance Team Leader Vance Newton.

“The support Toyota receives from our community partners and local government officials has allowed our plant to grow and thrive for more than 10 years,” said Bolte.  “Most importantly, we thank our team members for their commitment and hard work.  They are Toyota’s greatest assets, and we are lucky to have each and every one of them on our team.”

 

TMMAL currently assembles 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines for eight of 12 Toyota North American built vehicles.  TMMAL is the only Toyota plant globally to produce these three types of engines in one facility.

TMMAL’s Major Milestones

 

Date	Milestone
February 2001	Toyota announces $220 million investment to build a V8 engine plant.  Named Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama, Inc., it will employ 350 and it will mark the first time ever that V8 engines will be produced outside of Japan.
June 2001	Groundbreaking ceremony.
April 2003	Production of V8 engines begins.
July 2003	TMMAL announces a new $20 million investment to expand operations to produce V6 engines.  150 new jobs will be created.
July 2004	Groundbreaking ceremony for V6 engines.
September 2004	TMMAL announces a new $250 million investment to double its size and increase engine capacity.  300 new jobs will be created.
May 2005	Production of V6 engines begins.
December 2006	Production begins on the all-new 5.7 liter V8 engine.
January 2008	1 millionth engine produced.
April 2009	Jim Bolte named TMMAL’s first American president.
August 2009	TMMAL announces a new $147 million investment to produce four-cylinder engines becoming the only Toyota plant globally to produce 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines.  240 new jobs will be created.
September 2011	Production of 4-cylinder engines begins.  TMMAL’s cumulative investment is $637 million and employment reaches more than 1,000.
March 2012	2 millionth engine produced.
May 2012	TMMAL announces a new $80 million investment to increase V6 engine capacity.  125 new jobs will be created.