Power to the People: Advisory Council Gives Frontline Techs a Voice

Can four hand-picked technicians represent the issues and concerns of their nearly 14,000 colleagues who maintain and repair Toyota vehicles at Toyota dealerships on a daily basis? Clearly not, or at least certainly no more than 100 U.S. senators can adequately represent some 300 million Americans. But the Toyota Technician Advisory Council still serves a valuable purpose—and makes a statement about the way Toyota does business.

Each of the four members on the council serves a two-year term and meets, along with Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) technical training professionals, twice a year. The latest session took place in San Antonio last month and drew six technicians, including two all-new members and two who were completing their tours of duty.

Each time around, the TMS folks show up with a list of topics to discuss. But it’s the moments when the technicians veer off the prepared agenda that really make the meetings worthwhile. For TMS, the council members are the company’s eyes and ears on the frontlines—the people who work on real vehicles and interact with real customers. If not for this twice annual dose of reality, the people who provide the dealers technical training and support could easily succumb to "ivory tower" syndrome—a malady that can eventually lead to a severe drop in customer satisfaction.

Newcomers to the council are always shocked—in a positive way—that they really do have a voice and that opinions expressed behind closed doors actually are heard and acted upon. I’m not sure if other manufacturers have similar feedback mechanism--but it certainly makes sense that Toyota does, given its long tradition of listening to and responding to its customers. And it fits with Toyota manufacturing plants where individual line workers can pull a cord and stop production in the pursuit of higher quality.

At Toyota, the little guy has real power. And he (as well as she) is not afraid to use it.

~ Contributed by Dan Miller, TMS Corporate Communications

Lexus Engine Honored

Unless you have ties to the automotive industry, you probably don't read, and may not even know about, Ward's AutoWorld. Ward's, as it's known, is a trade magazine that tracks what's going in the auto industry.

Every year for the past 14 years, the magazine's editors have taken a look at the year's crop of engines, and they've picked 10 winners. This year, the 3.5L DOHC V6 that powers the Lexus IS 350 was selected for Ward's 10 Best Engines list.

As they made their selections, the Ward's editors looked at engines that, "do the best job of improving fuel economy without compromising performance," the magazine said. The award is said to be the only one in the U.S. that honors powertrain excellence.

Six Ward's editors worked their way through a crop of 37 candidates. The prerequisites for candidacy were that the engines had to power vehicles that were regular-production, U.S. model vehicles with a price ceiling of $54,000, on sale no later than the first quarter of 2008.

Then, over a 60-day period and using what the magazine describes as "a number of objective and subjective parameters," they whittled that group of 37 down to the 10 engines they thought most deserving. The DOHC 3.5L V6 was one of them.

We're very grateful for this recognition of the four-cam, 24-valve 3.5L engine's excellence - and naturally, we think that the editors at Ward's made a fine choice. We're particularly proud of this engine. Using technologies such as dual Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (dual VVT-i), an Acoustic Control Induction System (ACIS), electronic throttle control, roller rocker arms, Sequential multi-port Fuel Inject (SFI) and other high-tech features, this engine sets particularly high standards for smoothness, power output and fuel economy even as it achieves ULEV-II emissions certification.

The EPA city/highway fuel-economy rating is 18/25 mpg, while horsepower and torque output, respectively, are 306 at 6,400 rpm and 277 lb-ft at 4800 rpm. All in all, that's a pretty impressive set of numbers.

And when you add the performance and efficiency that those numbers represent to the comfort and sporty handling of the IS 350, what you get is a car that we're very proud of.

Just as we're proud of this award.

~ Contributed by Jon F. Thompson, Corporate Communications

Toyota and Owner Loyalty: Satisfaction by the Numbers

We take a great many steps to help ensure that our cars and trucks are designed and built in a way that will satisfy not just our own high standards, but, much more important, the standards and expectations of our customers.

No matter what measurements of product quality we can perform internally here at Toyota, what really matters is that someone who casts a vote of confidence in Toyota by spending his or her money on one of our products is completely satisfied with that product.

One of the ways we measure satisfaction is by asking this very simple question: Is the customer so satisfied with his vehicle that he’d buy, or lease, another vehicle from us?

The answer to that question comprises a measurement of what’s called "owner loyalty," and we’re very pleased to report that Toyota and Lexus both get top marks.

A Major Step Forward for Energy & the Environment: Toyota Applauds Senate's Passage of Fuel Economy Measure

The Senate’s action last night on automotive fuel economy is a clear signal to our entire industry that it’s now time to move into overdrive to meet these ambitious new national standards.

Toyota is wasting no time in our pursuit of 35 miles per gallon in 2020.

Toyota congratulates the Senate for persevering to pass this Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) legislation. This is a critically important vote for the auto industry and the nation.

We at Toyota have long said that we want a CAFE bill passed this year that will provide the certainty of one national fuel economy program. The U.S. Senate has delivered, as their colleagues in the House of Representatives did last week. We thank all the Senators who provided leadership for this historic vote on CAFE.

The Senate action represents a major step in the right direction that will result in significant oil savings and reductions in CO2. It provides important new goals and targets for our entire industry to achieve. Toyota will strive to meet them.

We look forward to the concurrence of the House of Representatives next week and to the President signing it into law.

- Contributed by Jim Lentz, President, Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc.

Toyota's Environmental Commitment. . . Let's All Do What We Can

Toyota is known for building vehicles that have a reputation for efficiency and greenness.

Sure, we build those vehicles because building them is good business. We also build them because building them is the right thing to do.

Our vehicles continue to exceed the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards for both passenger cars and light-duty trucks. At the same time, our drive toward reduced vehicle emissions is such that in 2007, 90% of all Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles were certified Ultra Low Emissions Vehicles (ULEV) or better.

We're committed to Hybrid Synergy Drive in our march toward improved economy and reduced emissions, and we're equally committed to continuing research of other forms of power, including clean diesel and hydrogen fuel cells, as we continue our drive toward sustainable mobility.

But we thought that you should know that building vehicles that have a greenish tinge to them is not the only evidence of our drive to be environmentally responsible. Those efforts to be responsible take other forms.

IRV'S SHEET: Working Toward a New CAFE Standard

We’ve reported here from time to time on the progress in Washington toward Toyota’s most important legislative priority this year – passage of new Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards. Since January, we have urged the Congress to pass a CAFE bill this year. And we have cooperated with other U.S. automakers to come to an agreement on a national plan that the entire industry could work toward.

All that effort culminated Thursday, Dec. 6, when the U.S. House of Representatives approved an energy bill that contains new CAFE provisions.  The bill passed by a vote of 235 -- 181.  These CAFE provisions are a major step forward that, once signed into law, will result in significant oil savings and reductions in CO2 emissions.

Under this agreement, the fuel economy of the entire new vehicle fleet will achieve 35 miles per gallon by the year 2020. This represents a 40% fuel economy increase over today’s fleet.

Toyota has urged Congress to pass CAFE reform this year in part because all automakers, including Toyota, need the certainty of one national fuel-standard plan to be able to make the additional investments necessary to advance fuel economy. More important, we believe that it’s the right thing to do.

On behalf of Toyota, I want to acknowledge the efforts of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Dingell, chairman of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, and all the members of the U.S. House of Representatives who provided leadership for this week’s historic vote on CAFE. Indeed, Speaker Pelosi noted "This vote on this bill is a shot heard round the world for energy independence." 

Now the legislation moves on to the United States Senate. Watch this blog for additional reports on CAFE action in Washington.

~ Contributed by Irv Miller, Group Vice President, Corporate Communications

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Copeland Toyota: Where, Cheers-like, Everyone Knows Your Name

The only constant, it’s often said, is change. But is change always for the better? Does something essential about the old always get sacrificed in pursuit of the new? Often, but not always.

Consider the counterpoint of Copeland Toyota. For more than 30 years, it existed as a small mom-and-pop dealership in suburban Boston, serving its customers as if they were members of an extended family. Then, about three years ago, Copeland built an all-new and considerably larger facility. One of its sales consultants, Steve Hurley, recently put the transformation in perspective by saying that the all of the old dealership could fit in the new store’s showroom.

IRV'S SHEET: Setting the Record Straight

The Boston Globe is one of those papers of record that you have to take seriously – so we were astonished to find in its Nov. 27 edition an Op/Ed piece by Derrick Z. Jackson, titled, “A Super-sized Toyota,” that was so completely filled with erroneous information as to strain the paper’s credibility.

We don’t usually respond to mudslinging, but there’s just so much wrong with Mr. Jackson’s piece that we cannot allow it to go unchallenged.

The piece begins by referring to Toyota as, “the now-top automaker.” Toyota is not “the top auto maker.” When last we checked, we were ranked second in global sales volume behind General Motors.

Then it claims that the 2008 Sequoia, introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Nov. 14, “… gets a reported 14 miles per gallon on streets and 14 mpg on highways.” Actually, the 2008 Sequoia’s EPA estimated city/highway fuel economy rating is 14/19 mpg. That’s just about exactly the rating that comparable vehicles from our competitors earned. We’re greatly surprised that Mr. Jackson and his editors at the Globe haven’t checked their facts, and their biases.

And, there's more that's wrong with this piece.