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Posts Tagged ‘toyoda’

Akio Toyoda would love to do a new Supra, probably won’t happen

Jul 9, 2010 Object

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda “wants to see the next Supra tested in the near future.” But the reality of his company’s current circumstances means it’s unlikely to happen.

During a discussion with U.S. journalists on Friday in Japan, Toyoda was asked about the possibility of building a car like a Supra that would appeal to enthusiasts. As such a huge company, Toyoda said, “even if one president says that we want to have a Supra again, the whole company is not going to be responding to that request.”

Toyoda explained that he did much of his development as a driver behind the wheel of a Supra and has fond memories of flinging that model around the N

Tags: a-told-the, akio toyoda, coupes-on-the, discussion, entry, information, possibility, toyoda, toyota, toyota supra turbo, toyotasupraturbo

Deep-Dive: Behind the scenes at Toyota’s R&D center, Part Two

Jul 9, 2010 Object

Filed under: Safety, Technology, Lexus, Toyota

Behind the Scenes at Toyota’s R&D Center - Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s impossible to overlook the negative impact the recalls have had on Toyota’s reputation for safety and reliability. Seemingly overnight, the automaker that could do no wrong has been brought back down to earth.

Sales of most of Toyota’s lineup have been hit hard, with only fleet sales and big incentives keeping the retail side from looking worse. As we first told you yesterday in Part One of our series, in a move unprecedented in its history, Toyota has opened its doors and invited a small group of journalists into its product development facilities in Toyota City near Nagoya, Japan.

The goal is to show the lengths Toyota goes to test and evaluate its products both before and after they go on sale to the public, as well as to detail how those testing regimes have been altered in wake of their recent troubles. Given the sudden intended acceleration scandal, Toyota has chosen to focus on the work it does to verify the performance and reliability of its electronic throttle control systems. Make the jump for a primer on Toyota’s engineering and manufacturing processes and how it’s attempting to ensure that sudden acceleration will be snuffed out for good.

Gallery: Behind the scenes at Toyota’s R&D center

Continue reading Deep-Dive: Behind the scenes at Toyota’s R&D center, Part Two

Deep-Dive: Behind the scenes at Toyota’s R&D center, Part Two originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: automaker, electromagnetic, electromagnetic radiation, lotus-elise, safety, toyoda, toyota city, toyota recalls, toyota technical cen..., toyota technical center, toyotaquality, toyotarecall, toyotarecalls

Akio Toyoda apologizes to shareholders, shareholder tells him to stop crying

Jun 25, 2010 Object

Filed under: Government/Legal, Recalls, Safety, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Now there’s some sad things known to man, but ain’t too much sadder than the tears of a… CEO? Apparently, at least one Toyota shareholder has seen enough tears and weeping from the company’s not-so-fearless leader.

According to a report from Reuters, one of Toyota’s shareholders requested, “Mr. Toyoda, you’ve been all over the media this year and you’ve gone teary-eyed on several occasions. For a man of your position, this is unacceptable. Please keep your chin up and try not to weep!”

Certainly, there are reasons for both Toyoda and Toyota’s shareholders to smile - despite the recent spate of recalls (more than 10 million vehicles) and safety woes, the Japanese automaker still expects to turn an operating profit of 280 billion yen for the year ending in March 2011. After all that, though, Toyoda found it within himself to issue yet another apology, apparently in this case, sans tears.

[Source: Reuters | Image: Junko Kimura/Getty]

Akio Toyoda apologizes to shareholders, shareholder tells him to stop crying originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: a-report-from, akio toyoda, another-apology, found-it-within, gone-teary-eyed, media, minor-automaker, over-the-media, recalls-tsbs, safety, subwaymap, toyoda, toyota, toyota shareholder, toyotashareholder

Toyota Executive Pay Is Cut and Bonuses Are Forfeited

Jun 24, 2010 Object

The moves were announced at a shareholders’ meeting where the Toyota president, Akio Toyoda, apologized for recalls tied to faulty accelerator pedals and floor mats.

Tags: america, chief, faulty-accelerator, industry news, pedals-and, the-chief, toyoda, toyoda, akio, toyota motor corp|tm|nyse

Toyota CEO wants to add "fun to drive" to eco-friendly vehicles

Jun 4, 2010 Object, news

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Hybrid, Toyota

Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid Concept - Click above for image gallery

It’s been far too long since Toyota’s products have been imbued with anything short of clinical, appliance-like precision. Handling prowess and communicative steering has taken a back seat to ruthless efficiency, especially true when you turn to the company’s eco-friendly vehicles such as the Prius, where the entertainment factor is basically non-existent. Toyota chief executive officer Akio Toyoda doesn’t believe this is a viable path to the future, and has ordered company engineers to spice up the brand’s products.

Before the Pedalgate debacle, Toyoda gave several speeches where he constantly talks about “seasoning” the company’s lineup of bland vehicles and points out that future products will be “fun to drive.” Toyoda notes that the company’s hybrid sports car concept, a convertible loosely based on the retired MR2, is exactly the type of thing to expect from Toyota in the near future. As Toyoda said of the MR2 hybrid concept, “I wanted a car that shows what we are aiming for, something affordable, fun to drive and good for the environment.” Making eco-friendly cars is something that’s apparently quite easy for Toyota, but upping the enjoyability quotient from behind a Toyota steering wheel still presents a challenge. Still, we’re definitely looking forward to the time when the combination of “fun-to-drive” and “Toyota” are no longer diverging concepts.

Gallery: Toyota MR2 Sports Hybrid

[Source: Autoweek]

Toyota CEO wants to add “fun to drive” to eco-friendly vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: a-friend-via, a-gave-several, akiotoyoda, convertibles, enjoyability, hybridsportscar, sports, toyoda, toyota hybrid concept, toyotahybrids

Report: Akio Toyoda sitting out this year’s Nurburgring 24

Mar 19, 2010 Object

Filed under: Motorsports, Lexus, Toyota

2010 Lexus LFA racer - Click above for high-res image gallery

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda has his hands full. In addition to the day-to-day rigors of running the largest automaker in the world, Toyoda is busy combating the negative press and apologizing profusely for the massive amount of recalls customers are enduring. He’s also an avid blogger and race driver, and in his most recent entry has announced that he will not, after all, be returning to the wheel of the Lexus LFA for this year’s Nurburgring 24.

The embattled auto executive was one of the drivers in last year’s event, where Toyota and Gazoo Racing campaigned an LFA prototype to great effect. He was even reported to have brokered the deal with Aston Martin for the iQ-based Cygnet city car at the event last year.

With the announcement that Lexus would be returning with a new LFA racer based on the production model, speculation (fueled by the official announcement) was rampant that Toyoda would return to the cockpit. But Toyoda himself has now dispelled the rumors, leaving the roster of Japanese and German drivers to pilot the car without him this year.

Gallery: 2010 Lexus LFA racer

[Source: Gazoo.com (translated) via The Truth About Cars]

Report: Akio Toyoda sitting out this year’s Nurburgring 24 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: 2012bmwm5touring, 24 hours of nurburgring, a-himself-has, akio toyoda, bmwm5, gazoo racing, lexus, lfa, nurburgring24, previous, production, series-touring, toyoda

AmD Milltek Racing brings the Volkswagen Golf back to the British Touring Car Championship

Mar 19, 2010 Object

Filed under: Motorsports, Hatchback, Volkswagen, UK, Racing

AmD Milltek Racing Volkswagen Golf touring car - Click above for image gallery

Touring car racing is big business overseas. Think of it as European stock cars and you’ve got an idea of the fan base. And while there’s a World Touring Car Championship, it’s the individual national series that draw the most attention: series like DTM in Germany, Australia’s V8 Supercars, Italy’s Superstars series, and this, the British Touring Car Championship.

The UK series dates back for decades, and has attracted the participation of many of the world’s biggest automakers. Now, for the first time in ten years, a Volkswagen will be competing in the series. Prepared by AmD Milltek Racing, this VW Golf will be dicing it with the likes of the BMW 320si, Vauxhall Vectra, Seat Leon and Honda Civic Type R for the glory as an independent entry. (In fact most - if not all - of the entries are now privateers since the major manufacturers packed up shop.)

The Golf touring car was brought over under the new S2000 rules from the Baltic Touring Car Championship - one of the more obscure series in the discipline - and modified by Milltek before recently undergoing a shakedown at Brands Hatch where the team is based. The car was driven, as it will be throughout the season, by the team’s managing director Shaun Hollamby, whose past experience had him competing in the Volkswagen Cup and directing the television department for Formula One Management.

Gallery: AmD Milltek Racing Volkswagen Golf touring car

[Source: AmD Milltek Racing via JonSibal.com]

AmD Milltek Racing brings the Volkswagen Golf back to the British Touring Car Championship originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tags: 2012bmwm5touring, a-himself-has, amd milltek, from-the-baltic, gazoo racing, lexus, milltek-racing, previous, touring car, touringcar, toyoda, world-touring

Rumormill: Rolls-Royce Phantom to undergo major overhaul in 2016

Mar 19, 2010 Object

Filed under: Sedan, Rolls-Royce, Rumormill, Luxury

Rolls-Royce Phantom - Click above for high-res image gallery

Having been introduced in 2003, the Rolls-Royce Phantom has been on the market for seven years now. That’s a pretty long life-cycle for a car these days. According to the ever-churning rumor mill, that’s only the tip of the proverbial iceberg, as Rolls may be planning on keeping the Phantom the way it is for another six years or so.

According to the reports, the Phantom is set to receive a major overhaul in 2016. What that will entail is far from being known at this point. And considering Maybach may reportedly fall by the wayside, its only major competition is the Bentley Mulsanne, which is brand spankin’ new.

Once the Phantom sedan is replaced, though, it would be reasonable to expect the Coupe and DHC convertible to follow suit. In the meantime, expect another few dozen special editions for the Persian Gulf crowd.

Gallery: Review: 2007 Rolls-Royce Phantom