Toyota – Page 5 – Latino Traffic Report

Toyota Helps Paralyzed Veteran Open Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center

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Jul 032015

Romy and Gaby Camargo open the Stay In Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center in Tampa, Fla.

TAMPA, Fl—During his third tour of duty in Afghanistan, Romy Camargo’s patrol was ambushed. A sniper’s bullet changed the life of this decorated war veteran and his family. Now, with help from Toyota, Camargo, his family and a strong team of supporters are forever changing the lives of paraplegics and quadriplegics across the country.

Camargo and his wife, Gaby, have opened the doors to Stay In Step, a new, non-profit recovery center dedicated to helping spinal-cord injury (SCI) patients take a step forward toward recovery. This groundbreaking facility offers treatment, rehabilitation and support services to veterans and civilians in Tampa, Fla.

Toyota donated $300,000 in last-mile funding to help the facility reach its $750,000 fundraising goal and open its doors. At the grand opening June 20, Toyota Motor North America Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Simon Nagata also presented Stay In Step with a wheelchair-accessible 2015 Toyota Sienna minivan.

Surrounded by friends, board members, and family, Gaby and Romy Camargo cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the Stay In Step Spinal Cord Injury Recovery Center in Tampa, Fla. Toyota Motor North America Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Simon Nagata (far left) spoke at the opening ceremony.

“Supporting Stay In Step is aligned with Toyota’s corporate vision to lead the way to the future of mobility and enrich lives around the world with the safest and most responsible ways of moving people,” Nagata said. “Toyota is proud to support Stay In Step and the tremendous work of Romy and Gaby.”

By combining intense strength and conditioning workouts with a focus on the natural movements and weight of the body, Stay In Step will use emerging therapies and a “never quit” attitude to help patients and their families.

“Stay In Step is dedicated to providing cutting edge physical rehabilitation services and including the much needed tools to win the mental game,” Gaby Camargo said. “We want to create an environment for patients to support one another, share stories and give encouragement, and offer some relief from the intense daily schedule. Stay In Step provides a place of comfort, relaxation and shares a sense of family.”

That sense of family was in full force June 20, when the Camargos cut a long resistance band to open the center. They were surrounded by Nagata, Lt. Gen. Martin Steele, Lt. Col. Scott Mann and other supporters.

Toyota donates wheelchair-accessible 2015 Toyota Sienna minivan to Stay In Step non-profit recovery center dedicated to helping spinal-cord injury (SCI) patients.

For Toyota, the support and interest in Stay In Step goes beyond the donations.

“We are applying the strength and expertise of Toyota’s engineering and robotics to the challenges faced by those injured in service to this country,” Nagata said. “Toyota’s partner robots are being developed to assist people in their everyday activities.

“By sharing this technology, we hope to serve the mobility needs of veterans and people around the world.”

The Stay In Step story began in 2008 when Romy was shot. He spent 18 months of intensive inpatient care before he was finally able to leave the hospital, in a wheelchair. Romy and Gaby drove twice a week from their Tampa home to Orlando for treatment.

Now, there is a center in Tampa that can treat Romy and other SCI patients in the community, helping them continue on their road to recovery. Tampa is home to the busiest polytrauma unit in the nation at the James A. Haley VA Medical Center. The Haley polytrauma unit treats the most severely injured veterans while they are in the hospital.

“With everyone’s support, we have built up a center that’s going to impact so many lives,” Romy Camargo said. “Gaby said that we could do this – that we could open up this center in Tampa. And now it’s a reality.”

Reviews: 2015 Toyota Tundra 1794

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Jun 112015

Year after year, more trucks are sold in Texas than anywhere else in the country, making Texas the top truck market and the battle over it, pretty fierce.

In a genius move, Toyota opted to build its half-ton entry, the Tundra, in San Antonio in 2006, making it the only Texas-built pickup and Toyota a major employer, bringing more than 2300 jobs to the Alamo city. That number will expand further when Toyota relocates its headquarters to Plano, TX next year.

In 2014, Toyota took it up one more notch by introducing a special edition model, the Tundra 1794, a premium pickup named for the eighteenth century ranch in San Antonio founded by Juan Ignacio de Casanova and upon which the Toyota manufacturing plant currently sits.

On a recent test drive in Austin for Latino Traffic Report, the Tundra 1794 lived up to its position at the top of Toyota’s truck lineup.

For starters, it’s a premium pickup and that means the interior should be plush and this one is. The 1794 comes only in the CrewMax (supersized four-door) configuration giving it seating for five full-size passengers.

Design cues on the inside reflect a western theme with exclusive saddle brown (or more like nice burnt orange for Texas Longhorn fans) premium leather-trimmed seating with embossed leather and ultra-suede accents. Matching soft-touch materials also accent the shift console, the front and rear door trim, and the instrument panel.

Standard features like an AM/FM/CD stereo get upgraded to the Entune Premium JBL stereo with a seven-inch touch screen and navigation. Additionally, the power back window facing the bed, fancy floor mats with the 1794 brand, a tilt-sliding moonroof with sliding shade, and heated and cooled front seats are standard.

Parking in a parking garage made manageable with the back-up camera.

Toyota doesn’t offer a V6 engine on the Tundra, instead a 4.6-liter V8 is considered the standard engine. The 1794, however, comes with an upgrade—the 5.7-liter iForce V8 with 381 horses and 401 lb-ft of torque.

Matched to a six-speed transmission, it has an EPA city/highway estimated fuel economy of 13/17 miles per gallon (mpg). I averaged 16.2 mpg. The powertrain also has a towing capacity of 9,800 lbs. and a maximum payload of nearly 1600 pound in the 5.5-foot bed.

When it comes to safety features, a back-up camera and parking sensor are standard but the blind-spot monitor with rear-cross traffic detection remains a $470 option, even on the 1794. I’d certainly pay the extra price for these features, especially on a truck.

Pricing for the 2015 Tundra 1794 starts at $46,120. The as-tested price, which included the 4×4 configuration and a few other options like the blind-spot monitor, came to $49,715.

Sí: Attention to details and premium features make the Tundra 1794 competitive in its segment.

No: The blind-spot monitor should be standard on a top-of-the-line truck.

Toyota Expands Takata Airbag Safety Recalls

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Jun 052015

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is expanding its recalls involving Takata air bag inflators.

First, Toyota will conduct a recall to replace Takata-supplied driver front airbag inflators on approximately 160,000 model year 2004 and 2005 RAV4 sport utility vehicles. The inflators could potentially be susceptible to rupture when deployed in a crash, increasing the risk of injury to vehicle occupants.

For similar reasons, Toyota will expand two existing recalls for Takata-supplied front passenger airbag inflators, namely:

Toyota’s nationwide recall launched in April 2013 will expand to include approximately an additional 177,000 model year 2003-2004 Tundra and model year 2004 Sequoia vehicles.
2003 Toyota Tundra
Toyota’s recall in areas of high absolute humidity launched in 2014 will expand to include approximately an additional 300,000 vehicles built through the 2006 or 2007 model year. This recall will now cover additional vehicles within model years
2005 Toyota Corolla

2005-2007 Toyota Corolla, Corolla Matrix, and Sequoia; model years 2005-2006 Tundra; and model years 2005-2007 Lexus SC. Areas of high absolute humidity encompass Coastal Areas around the Gulf of Mexico for Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Louisiana; and Florida, Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, American Samoa, Virgin Islands and Hawaii.

“Toyota’s focus remains on the safety and security of our customers, and we will continue to respond promptly to new developments so we can resolve issues for them as quickly, conveniently and safely as possible,” said Dino Triantafyllos, chief quality officer, Toyota Motor North America.

2005 Lexus SC hardtop convertible

Multiple investigations into the root cause of the potential for inflator rupture are taking place, including by Orbital ATK, an independent engineering firm commissioned by an industry-wide joint testing initiative comprised of the ten automotive manufacturers conducting Takata-related recalls.

All known owners of the affected Toyota / Lexus vehicles will be notified by first class mail to return their vehicles to a Toyota / Lexus dealer. The dealer will replace the airbag inflator with a newly manufactured one.

Detailed information is available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall, the Toyota Customer Experience at 1-800-331-4331, www.lexus.com/recall and Lexus Customer Satisfaction (1-800-255-3987).

Toyota Celebrates Milestone in Latino Market

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Mar 182015

Latino Traffic Report has learned that Toyota recently held a special private show in Los Angeles with Grammy Award-winning artist Ricky Martin for loyal Latino Toyota owners. The event celebrated a milestone for Toyota as the No. 1 automotive brand in the Hispanic market for a decade.

To demonstrate its appreciation of that loyalty, the the world’s largest automaker recognized Latino owners as its special guests. Ricky Martin showcased his spectacular talent, performing his greatest hits and music from his new album, A Quien Quiera Escuchar, to a full-capacity crowd at Nokia Theatre L.A.

“We wanted to thank them for making Toyota their favorite brand for the past ten years. We couldn’t have found a more fitting partner than Ricky Martin who also understands the power of Latino loyalty,” commented Jack Hollis, group vice president of Toyota Division marketing at Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Through the years, Toyota has understood the importance of the Latino community, locating its Tundra truck plant in San Antonio, supporting Latino non-profit organizations like the National Council of La Raza, and creating culturally relevant campaigns. Most notably, Toyota launched a recent campaign called “More Than a Car,” or “Más Que Un Auto,” a program that acknowledges the role vehicles play in the everyday lives of Latino consumers.

The campaign recognizes that drivers see their cars as members of their families and give their vehicles nicknames. For instance, customers can order customized nameplates through the website www.masqueunauto.com to be mailed to them at no cost. Tens of thousands of people have ordered the 3-D-printed nameplates, which allow them to demonstrate their love for their trusted companion and immortalize its place in the family.

“In creating the campaign, our challenge was to find an idea that could truly express the love between the Latino consumer and the brand. For them, their Toyotas are almost members of their families. Once the team uncovered this insight, the execution took shape quickly,” said Javier Campopiano, Chief Creative Officer at Conill, Toyota’s Hispanic marketing partner. “Today, engagement continues, owners are sharing their stories through Toyota Latino social channels and this campaign – developed to thank Latino owners for their support – celebrates the long-standing relationship between Toyota and the Latino community.”

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