Toyota Reinvents More Than the Camry in Extended Version of Super Bowl XLVI Commercial

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced the premiere of the extended version of its Super Bowl XLVI commercial. The spot takes a cue from the marketing campaign promoting the striking reinvention of the 2012 Camry, America’s best-selling car for 10 consecutive years. The 60-second “Reinvented” spot is available for preview at Toyota’s YouTube page, while the television premiere of the 30-second version on Sunday, February 5th, will mark the brand’s return to Super Bowl advertising for the first time in three years.

The ad provides a humorous take on potential day-to-day experiences and items that could have been reinvented, such as a baby that never requires a diaper change, the Department of Motor Vehicles as an enjoyable place of fun and smiles, and house plants that defend against intruders by fighting crime. The premise of the spot is that good things are always better when reinvented; and in this case, they are also funnier.

“Reinvention is a powerful idea and one we took to heart when we redesigned America’s most popular car with the launch of the 2012 Camry and elevated it above the competition,” said Bill Fay, group vice president of marketing at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. “The Super Bowl provides a forum to really drive home the reinvention message of the seventh-generation Camry, using humor to resonate with the American public.”

The commercial will be one of two 30-second spots Toyota will be airing during the internationally-viewed game. The ad, created by Toyota’s agency of record Saatchi & Saatchi LA, is slated to be broadcast during the third quarter of the game and is supported by an interactive social media extension that will kick-off following the commercial. Viewers will be encouraged to tweet with the #Reinvented hashtag about what they’d like to see reinvented and selected tweets will be responded to in real-time with a creative depiction of their idea.

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Kelley Blue Book: Toyota back to No.1 in brand loyalty

[[posterous-content:pid___0]]Toyota's back.

Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com says Toyota scored No. 1 in brand loyalty among shoppers who used the kbb.com site in the fourth quarter last year. That's the first time since third quarter 2010 that Toyota was tops.

Hyundai recently had held the top slot.

Kbb.com defines brand loyalty as "owners of the brand who are currently shopping the same brand for their next vehicle. This includes data from consumers who view a trade-in page or private party page in addition to a new-car page on Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com."

The shopping site believes the updated 2012 Camry (Toyota calls it "all-new" despite a significant amount of carry-over hardware) has helped.

The big Japanese brand disillusioned buyers because of safety and quality problems, and more recently, supply problems after last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan and, later, flooding in Thailand where auto-electronic components are made.

"Toyota has done a laudable job overcoming those issues, introducing programs such as 'Toyota Care,' while getting its supply back online. The redesign of its flagship, the 2012 Toyota Camry, also helped," says Akshay Anand, market intelligence Web analyst for Kelley Blue Book's kbb.com.

Here's kbb.com's summary of its findings:

"For Q4 2011, Toyota's brand shopping loyalty was at 50.6 %, a 2.7 percentage point jump from Q3 2011, with Hyundai close behind at 50.2 %. Ford, which moved to the third position from No. 5 for Q4 2011, is at 47.1 % brand loyalty. In addition, Kia continues to hold the fourth spot from the previous quarter at 46.5%, while Honda takes the fifth position at 46.4%.

"Hyundai was No. 1 in loyalty for the past two quarters thanks to its strong redesigns, attractive value and the struggles of the Japanese brands with safety perception and supply issues....

"After a brief dip, Honda jumped back into the top five with Subaru falling to No. 6 in Q4 2011 from No. 3 in the previous quarter. Honda's reappearance among the top five can be attributed to the pushed-up Civic refresh, the new CR-V redesign and resolved supply problems.

"Piggybacking on Toyota's success, Lexus is represented as the top luxury brand on the brand loyalty list at position eight, with Audi at No. 9, followed by Mercedes-Benz in the eleventh position."

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Toyota Camry Remains Top Seller

There are three thrifty reasons why the best-selling car in the United States for the past 10 years is likely to stay on top.

In gasoline-electric hybrid form, the Toyota Camry, revamped for 2012, beats all other mid-size hybrid sedans with a combined city/highway fuel economy rating of 43 miles per gallon, according to the federal government. This is up from 33 mpg for the 2011 Camry Hybrid.

The 2012 Camry with V-6 tops all other mid-size, non-hybrid, V-6-powered sedans in fuel economy with a government rating of 21 mpg combined city/highway mileage.

And the 2012 Camry with gasoline-powered, four-cylinder engine gets better mileage than its predecessor — a combined 25 mpg, per the federal government.

This is up from 22 mpg in the 2011 Camry and means that in the gasoline-powered, non-hybrid, mid-size sedan segment, the four-cylinder, 2012 Camry is second only to the lower-powered, smaller, 2012 Hyundai Elantra whose mileage rating is 29 mpg.

That's not all. The five-passenger, 2012 Camry has a more upscale interior, new features and more engine power than its predecessor and earns a top rating of five out of five stars in the U.S. government's overall crash test results.

The four-door Camry also is a recommended buy of Consumer Reports magazine, which lists its reliability as above average.

Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price, including destination charge, is $22,715 for a 2012 Camry L with 178-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission. A 2012 Camry with 268-horsepower V-6 and six-speed automatic has a starting retail price of $27,400. Toyota does not offer a manual transmission in the 2012 Camry.

In comparison, the 2012 Ford Fusion sedan has a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $20,995 with 175-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and manual transmission. A 2012 Ford Fusion with six-speed automatic starts at $21,990. Meantime, the 2012 Honda Accord sedan with 177-horsepower, four-cylinder engine and manual transmission has a starting retail price of $22,150. A 2012 Accord sedan with five-speed automatic starts at $22,950.

Camry wrapped up calendar 2011 with the most U.S. sales of any auto — 308,510. But this down 6 percent from the previous year's 327,804 Camry sales.

Toyota sales declines have been attributed to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan in 2011 that affected company operations and supplier parts. But Toyota also has been hurt by tougher competition as well as publicity about suddenly accelerating Toyota cars, which are making their way into the courts via lawsuits.

The 2012 Camry looks sleeker than its predecessor, even if the test car, a top-of-the-line XLE with V-6, didn't get a second look from passersby.

The new exterior deceptively masks the roomy interior, where front seat riders have a generous 41.6 inches of legroom and where back seat passengers get a commendable 38.9 inches of legroom. In fact, a 6-foot passenger was comfortable in either front or back seat of the test Camry. Note that the Fusion has more front legroom - 42.6 inches. But the Fusion's back-seat legroom is less, at 37.1 inches.

The inside of the 2012 Camry is freshly redone and looks richer than before, thanks to better materials and a new dashboard design. The top of the dashboard as well as the top plastic ledges near the side windows are soft to the touch, not hard, cheap-feeling plastic.

The test XLE added a touch of luxury with gray leather seats that had contrast stitching that was perfectly aligned. An insert of brown leather in the seats, which tied in with the faux, glossy wood inserts on the dashboard and center console, was an attractive touch.

Seat heaters came on fast, and the 7-inch display in the center dashboard had large enough letters and numbers that back-seat riders could read it.

The only thing that didn't quite fit in this $33,000-plus tester was the ceiling material. It had a texture look to it, but was a bit rough to the touch.

The new Camry test car rode with an interior quiet and a smoothness that was noticeably fuss-free. This is an easy car to get into and just drive. It doesn't need a lot of driver attention.

There was no harshness when traveling over road bumps, and body motions only became obvious in very aggressive maneuvers and when driving over major potholes.

Steering has a bit more heft in it than in previous Camry versions, which is nice. But drivers still might prefer less isolation from the road and more feedback. Brakes worked great in the tester, which bounded forward eagerly and merged into traffic smoothly.

The 2.5-liter, twin-cam four-cylinder base engine for the Camry has peak torque of 170-foot-pounds at 4,100 rpm, while torque peaks at a heartier 248 foot-pounds at 4,700 rpm in the uplevel 3.5-liter, double overhead cam V-6.

With the latter, the test XLE averaged 24.4 mpg when most driving was done on highways. But in mostly city driving, the car averaged just 20.4 mpg.

Ten standard air bags are in every Camry. This includes knee air bags for both driver and front passengers to help them stay properly seated during a frontal crash. Other standard safety items are curtain air bags, traction control, electronic stability control and antilock brakes.

I just wish a backup camera was standard, too, on every model. It's an option on all but the Camry XLEs and above.

Passengers get decent views out front over the low cowl. But everyone sits down onto the Camry seats in typical car fashion, so views can be blocked by trucks, sport utility vehicles and vans that are ahead in traffic.

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Toyota Prius c Completes the Prius Family of Vehicles

Following the U.S. debut of the all-new 2012 Prius c at the 2012 North American International Auto Show here, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., plans to bring this dynamically styled, five-door hatchback to market in March of 2012, and introduce Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive to the subcompact segment.

 

The letter “c” represents “city” in the Prius c name. Designed to function as an urban-friendly vehicle with an engaging driving experience, hatchback utility, and a city fuel economy rating of 53 mpg, Prius c offers the highest city mpg rating of any vehicle without a plug.  The all-new Prius c joins the Prius Family, which includes the third generation Prius Liftback, the versatile new Prius v and the Prius Plug-in Hybrid, which will debut in early 2012.

Beginning with the first generation fourteen years ago, over two million Prius units have been sold worldwide. Prius remains the world’s premier eco-vehicle brand, and has made great strides establishing consumer trust in hybrid technology.  With Prius c, Toyota will make the market’s most proven hybrid technology available to subcompact car shoppers with a starting MSRP below $19,000.    

 

Unique Place in the Prius Family

A gateway product into the Prius Family, the new Prius c will find favor with younger shoppers seeking a smartly designed, fuel-efficient subcompact car packing advanced drivetrain and in-car technology. The Prius c will offer engaging driving dynamics with superior urban maneuverability. When the 2012 Prius c arrives in showrooms this spring, the all-new hatchback will offer:

• The highest rated city fuel economy estimate of any vehicle without a plug*; 53 mpg in the city, and 46 mpg on the highway, for a combined rating of 50 mpg
• The most accessible Prius will feature a starting MSRP below $19,000 with proven hybrid powertrain and premium technology
• A premium subcompact car experience thanks to a wide array of available convenience and advanced in-car electronics features, including a standard 3.5-in. full color TFT multi-information display, hands-free phone capability, USB port with iPod® connectivity, and available Display Audio system with Navigation and Entune™

The scale of the all-new Prius c becomes apparentwhen compared to the familiar proportions of the midsize Prius Liftback. The Prius c is smaller and lighter than its midsize Prius stable mate with 19.1 inches less length (157.3 vs. 176.4 inches OAL) and 542 lbs. less weight than the Prius Liftback (2,500 vs. 3,042 lbs.).  In adapting the Hybrid Synergy Drive to the smaller Prius c platform, each of the system’s major components  were re-designed to reduce weight, scale, and improve efficiency.  

 

	OAL	OAH	OAW	Wheelbase	Curb weight
2012 Prius	176.4 in.	58.7 in.	68.7 in.	106.3 in.	3,042 lbs.
2012 Prius c	157.3 in.	56.9 in.	66.7 in.	100.4 in.	2,500 lbs.

Four Grades with Generous Standard Equipment

The Prius c will be available in four trim levels offering desirable features, equipment, and enhanced capability giving consumers a compelling value proposition. Prius c provides many standard features such as automatic climate control, tilt-telescopic steering wheel with audio, climate, Multi-Information Display and Bluetooth® hands-free controls, and remote keyless entry with illuminated entry among a long list of standard equipment.

 

Efficient Packaging

The Prius c’s effective packaging design strategically locates key drivetrain components within the chassis to help optimize interior space and handling.  The compact gasoline engine, transaxle and power-control unit are optimally placed within the vehicle to help enhance weight distribution and lower the center of gravity.  In addition, the hybrid battery and fuel tank are positioned together beneath the rear seat, ideally distributing their mass within the wheelbase to improve weight distribution to help enhance handling. By locating the battery and fuel tank below the rear seat, the Prius c is able to offer 104 cu. ft. of interior volume (87.4 cu. ft. passenger volume, 17.1 cu. ft. cargo volume).

Prius c Hybrid Synergy Drive Propulsion

The Prius c’s Hybrid Synergy Drive system integrates the operation of components that include a gasoline engine, an electric motor within a Continuously Variable Transaxle, a nickel-metal hydride battery, a power control unit (inverter), a DC-DC converter, a step-up converter and a hybrid control computer. The hybrid control computer governs the seamless application of gasoline engine and electric power depending on driving demands and selected drive mode.   

 

	Gasoline Engine	Engine Output	Electric Motor Output	Total System Output
Prius	1.8-liter, four-cylinder, Atkinson cycle with VVT-i	98 hp@5200 rpm 105 lb.-ft.@4000 rpm	80 hp (60 kW)	134 hp (100 kW)
Prius c	1.5-liter, four-cylinder, Atkinson cycle with VVT-i	73 hp@4800 rpm 82 lb.-ft@4000 rpm	60 hp (45kW)	99 hp (74 kW)

The Prius c relies on a SULEV (Tier 2 Bin 3) rated 1.5-liter in-line, four-cylinder gasoline engine that utilizes an Atkinson cycle to increase efficiency. This engineproduces 73 horsepower and 82 lb.-ft. of torque, contributing to a total hybrid system output of 99 hp.    

 

The Prius c’s hybrid system utilizes a 144-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack that has been located under the rear passenger seat, near the center of the vehicle, and low in the chassis to help improve the center of gravity.

Prius c offers three distinct drive modes: Normal, Eco, and EV mode.  Eco mode reduces overall energy consumption by governing climate control and throttle to improve vehicle efficiency. Under certain conditions, the EV mode allows the Prius c to be driven solely by electric power for a short distance (under 1 mile) while remaining below 25 mph.     

 

Vehicle Structure – Improved Handling and Safety

The Prius c’s body structure makes extensive use of lightweight, high-strength steel to help reduce vehicle mass and improve fuel economy. The strategic use of high-tensile-strength steel contributes to the vehicle’s ability to absorb and disperse impact energies helping enhance occupant safety. The high level of torsional rigidity afforded by the Prius c body structure allows the suspension to be more optimally tuned for ride and handling.

Suspension and Steering for Enhanced Handling

The front suspension uses a Macpherson strut design, and the rear rides on a tuned torsion beam. The coil-spring and shock-absorber characteristics of the Prius c have been tuned to enhance handling, flat turning, and smooth ride comfort.  Prius c is available with 15- or 16-inch wheel-and-tire combinations.  The 15-inch wheels are available in steel with wheel cover for base model or in aluminum alloy for elevated trim levels. Prius c models equipped with the available 16-inch aluminum alloy wheels enjoy enhanced handling thanks to a faster steering ratio (2.28 turns lock to lock), which helps quicken the vehicle’s dynamic response.

 

Youthful Exterior and Interior Design

The Prius c exterior design helps project a fun, youthful attitude for this all-new addition to the Prius family, while offering excellent aerodynamic performance. Extensive aerodynamic features were engineered into the Prius c to help achieve a 0.28 coefficient of drag. Adding character to this subcompact, the Prius c’s lower-body styling is wider below the beltline, featuring sculpted rear flares to help express a sturdy, athletic stance that communicates a more agile driving experience.

The Prius c’s available exterior colors include vibrant hues that are unique and expressive. The available colors for Prius c include three new colors – Habanero, Moonglow, and Summer Rain Metallic – along with Blue Streak Metallic, Absolutely Red, Black Sand Pearl, Magnetic Gray Metallic, Classic Silver Metallic, and Super White. 

The Prius c interior design seeks to create a space that is futuristic yet passenger friendly.  Using black as a basic interior color, the door trim, seat surfaces, and instrument panel feature treatments in lighter colors to help create contrast.

 

Display Audio and Connectivity with Entune^®

The 2012 Prius c will offer three audio system configurations. A base audio system features either four or six speakers, depending on the model, and includes AM/FM CD player with MP3/WMA playback capability, auxiliary audio jack, USB port with iPod^® connectivity, hands-free phone capability, phone book access, and music streaming via Bluetooth^® wireless technology. 

The Display Audio with Navigation and Entune™ has six speakers and augments capability with a 6.1-inch touchscreen, SiriusXM™ Satellite Radio capability (with 3-month trial subscription to XM Select package), HD Radio™ with iTunes^® tagging, and advanced voice recognition. Toyota’s Entune™ multi-media system functions through select smart phones’ interface that brings applications such as Bing and Pandora^® to the vehicle audio display. It also features real time information such as traffic, weather, fuel prices, sports, and stocks.     

 

Standard Safety Features

The Prius c is equipped with nine airbags strategically located to help protect the driver and passengers in the event of certain types of accidents.  The new 2012 Prius c, like allToyota models, is equipped with the standard Star Safety System™, which includes Vehicle Stability Control (VSC), Traction Control (TRAC), Anti-lock Brake System (ABS), Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Brake Assist (BA), and Smart Stop Technology (SST).   

 

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