$60,000 contribution will help boost college retention and graduation rates, seen as key to ensuring Dr. King’s dream for America January 17, 2019 PLANO, Texas (January 17, 2019) – In honor of the life and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Toyota Financial Services and Toyota Motor North America are continuing their support of… Continue reading Toyota Honors Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Legacy with 5th Annual Donations to Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Tag: Toyota
Media Advisory: All-New Toyota RAV4 Media Assets Now Available
Media Advisory: All-New Toyota RAV4 Media Assets Now Available – Toyota UK Media Site A full press kit, high-resolution images and video footage of the all-new, all-hybrid RAV4 SUV are now available to view and download at the Toyota UK media website here. The information includes full technical and equipment specifications and UK prices. The… Continue reading Media Advisory: All-New Toyota RAV4 Media Assets Now Available
Honda to hike vehicle prices by up to Rs 10,000 from next month
NEW DELHI: Honda Cars India on Thursday said it will increase prices of its vehicles by up to Rs 10,000 from next month in order to partially offset the impact of increase in commodity prices and foreign exchange rates.The company will hike price of its premium SUV CR-V by Rs 10,000 and other models by… Continue reading Honda to hike vehicle prices by up to Rs 10,000 from next month
Chevrolet ad will stop airing after Ford, Toyota, Honda challenge
A new Chevrolet commercial claiming the General Motors Co. brand is more reliable than Ford, Honda and Toyota has stopped airing nationally and will stop appearing in local markets after those three competitors challenged the ad's comparison assertions, The Detroit News has learned.
Ford, Honda and Toyota confirmed they each challenged the 60-second TV spot, which aired in Metro Detroit during the North American International Auto Show. Its title: “Chevy Surprises Competitive Owners When It Comes To Reliability.”
A lawyer for one of the three automakers who challenged the ad sent an email to GM's legal counsel this month demanding that the automaker stop making the reliability comparison claims in its advertising campaign, according to sources familiar with the correspondence. GM was given until 5 p.m. Jan. 14 to respond to the demands.
In a verbal response, a lawyer for GM told a counterpart at one of the rival automakers that Chevrolet is moving in a different marketing direction as it ramps up its campaign for the new Silverado pickup trucks, the sources said. And the GM lawyer added thatthe ad already had stopped airing nationally, with plans to remove the commercial from local markets in the coming weeks, the sources said.
“Chevrolet stands by the reliability claim and the ad remains in the brand’s toolbox but we have decided to take it out of the regular rotation at this time to launch new Silverado creative,” Chevrolet said in an emailed statement to The News. “We have not altered our marketing campaign because of any concerns with the accuracy of our ad content.”
The ad is still posted on Chevrolet's YouTube page. Ford and Toyota, however, say GM told them that the ad would be pulled after the two automakers complained.
“Through discussions with GM, we were informed they decided to pull the ad,” said Toyota spokeswoman Karen Nielsen. Honda declined to comment beyond confirming its concerns.
Chevrolet has agreed to stop airing the advertisement altogether, though it is still appearing heavily in Metro Detroit, Ford spokesman Mike Levine said. “We’d like to see that happen immediately.”
The ad, which started airing this month, uses the “Real People” premise Chevrolet has used for more than three years to claim that a “recent nationwide survey” found Chevrolet to be a more reliable brand than Toyota, Honda and Ford — three of the bow-tie brand's biggest competitors.
The reliability claim in Chevrolet's commercial, which was scrutinized last week by Jalopnik, is based on a survey of 2015 model-year vehicles commissioned by Chevrolet and completed by Paris-based market research firm Ipsos Group S.A. Fine print at the bottom of Chevy's reliability ad directs viewers to ChevyReliability.com for more information on the survey.
That website redirects to a one-page document that says Ipsos surveyed owners of 2015 model-year Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac owners versus owners of “competitive brands.” The research firm sent 840,979 “non-sponsored” letters to targeted owners and received 48,679 completed surveys.
The definition of reliability, Chevrolet says in the document, “is the percentage of vehicle owners who reported they have not repaired or replaced any vehicle components in the past 12 months (excluding fluids, filters and those related to accident/collision).”
Consumer Reports, which surveys its readers every year for a reliability study, found in 2018 that Toyota was the second most-reliable brand after its sister brand, Lexus. Honda finished 15th and Ford finished 18th. All three brands were ahead of Chevrolet at 23rd.
But J.D. Power's 2018 dependability rankings, which are more similar to the study Chevy commissioned for its reliability ad in that it looks at 2015 model year vehicles, ranked Chevrolet above Toyota, Honda and Ford.
As Chevrolet's reliability ad comes off the air, the brand is rolling out a massive campaign for its all-new 2019 Silverado pick up truck, which debuted last year at the Detroit auto show.
nnaughton@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @NoraNaughton
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Press Releases – Steel import restrictions now definitive, leaving EU auto manufacturers “extremely disappointed”
Brussels, 16 January 2019 – The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) is extremely disappointed by the decision of EU member states to support the European Commission’s proposal to adopt definitive measures that will continue to restrict imports of steel into the EU. These measures do not take into account the needs of downstream users of… Continue reading Press Releases – Steel import restrictions now definitive, leaving EU auto manufacturers “extremely disappointed”
Which company will sell the first personal-use electric pickup? Twitter poll results
Rivian R1T electric pickup concept
The race is on to sell an electric car that doesn't look like an economy hatchback or a luxury sedan.
With light trucks—pickups and SUVs—making up almost 70 percent of the market in 2018, automakers are scrambling to build these types of vehicles with all types of powertrains, including electric models.
DON'T MISS: Rivian R1T all-electric pickup revealed: 400-mile range, 160-kw DC fast charging
Studies have shown that the biggest obstacle to electric car sales now is a lack of model selection. So far, none are pickups, long the bestselling class of vehicles in the U.S., but that looks about to change, with at least four companies working on building electric pickup:
– Rivian, which showed its first prototype at the LA auto show in November;
Bollinger B2
– Tesla, whose CEO has been talking up an electric pickup from the brand for years now, and has asked customers to suggest features they want, but has yet to actually show anything;
– Ford, which has promised a hybrid version of its new F-150 pickup, along with six pure electric vehicles by 2022, and may be working on an electric F-150;
CHECK OUT: Bollinger Motors announces B2 electric pickup alongside SUV
– Or Bollinger Motors, which has built prototypes of a one-ton SUV and shown concept renderings of a planned pickup based on it, but is still seeking funding to produce either.
For our Twitter poll last week, we asked our followers which of these companies they thought might get an electric pickup into consumers' driving or work gloves first.
Our poll asked: “Which company will sell the first personal-use electric pickup?”
Rivian, whose R1T electric pickup prototype ran away with the show in LA, also ran away with our poll, garnering 36 percent of responses.
That was followed by Bollinger, whose recent renderings were inspiring. Bollinger received 30 percent of our responses.
READ MORE: Ford to electrify most SUVs, promises to pass Toyota in hybrids
From our ever Tesla-loving crowd, the global-warming disruptor earned 25 percent of our votes.
With only 9 percent of our responses, Ford, which has not confirmed a production-bound electric F-150 but has dropped hints it's working on a prototype, may be seen as an old-Detroit dinosaur.
As always, remember that our Twitter polls are not scientific, because of their low sample size, and because those who respond are self-selected.
Toyota Yaris Delivers Extra Style and Sporting Appeal with New Y20 and GR Sport
The style choice is street-smart or sporting for two new additions to the Toyota Yaris line-up for 2019. The new Y20 celebrates the supermini’s 20th anniversary, while the hot-looking GR Sport is inspired by the exclusive Yaris GRMN performance hatch. Both versions take their place in a revised Yaris range, which continues to offer the… Continue reading Toyota Yaris Delivers Extra Style and Sporting Appeal with New Y20 and GR Sport
France pressures Renault to name a substitute for Carlos Ghosn
Posted 1/16/2019 11:30:07 CET PARIS, Jan. 16 (Reuters / EP) – The French government has asked the Renault group to convene its board of directors on January 20 so that the company will definitively replace Carlos Ghosn as head of the automotive consortium, after being accused in Japan of a supposed case of tax evasion… Continue reading France pressures Renault to name a substitute for Carlos Ghosn
German carmakers warn hard Brexit would be “fatal”
FRANKFURT (Reuters) – German carmakers on Wednesday warned of fatal consequences if Britain left the European Union without a divorce deal, predicting job losses in Britain and Europe and urging lawmakers to redouble efforts to ensure tariff-free trade can continue. FILE PHOTO: Cars for export stand in a parking area at a shipping terminal in… Continue reading German carmakers warn hard Brexit would be “fatal”
European car sales drop 8.7 percent in December – ACEA
MILAN, Jan 16 (Reuters) – European car registrations fell 8.7 percent year-on-year in December, with sales at all major carmakers except Daimler and Jaguar Land Rover contracting as the introduction of tougher new emissions tests continued to weigh on demand. Registrations fell to 1.04 million cars in the European Union (EU) and European Free Trade… Continue reading European car sales drop 8.7 percent in December – ACEA