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In this year's report, the Toyota Prius has replaced the Honda Fit as the best value for car buyers. "It's extremely reliable, roomy, rides well, gets great fuel economy, and is inexpensive to operate," says Rik Paul, automotive editor at Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports rated Toyota Motor and Lexus models as the best value for buyers in six of 10 categories. The magazine said Toyota and Lexus hybrids stand out as having excellent value. The Japanese automakers hybrids rated No. 1 in three of four categories. Click Here for the Full Story

Toyota today announced a $1 million contribution to the American Red Cross and other nonprofit organizations to support relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Sandy in the regions worst-hit by the storm. In addition, Toyota will match employee contributions to the American Red Cross and other non-profits doing relief and recovery work in affected communities. Beginning Nov. 1, Toyota Financial Services (TFS) and Lexus Financial Services (LFS) will launch a “Customer Outreach” calling campaign to lease and retail customers who are delinquent, or become delinquent, due to circumstances related to the storm and who reside in the 13 states directly impacted by the hurricane (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT and WV) and in the District of Columbia. Click Here for the Full Story

The Scion FR-S earned industry recognition on October 30th, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada with the Hottest Sport Compact award on the first day of the 2012 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show in Las Vegas.   “Scion is honored the FR-S earned the SEMA Hottest Sport Compact award, which adds the judges’ esteemed endorsement to the thousands of enthusiastic owners who have already taken this sports car to the next level in a few short months,” said Scion Corporate Manager Jaycie Dane. “Personalization is a core component of the Scion brand, making the SEMA show a perfect spot to showcase the vast possibilities of the FR-S.” Click here for the full story

Toyota celebrated the 25 millionth vehicle manufactured in North America today at a ceremony at its Georgetown, Ky., plant coinciding with the start of production for the all-new 2013 Avalon.  The milestone vehicle – a Classic Silver Hybrid Avalon – represents 26 years of manufacturing, a direct investment of nearly $24 billion in North American operations and 365,000 jobs created in the United States. Speaking at a line-off ceremony in Georgetown today, Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky President Wil James said, “This is a pivotal time in Toyota’s history.  What better way to cap off 26 years of manufacturing excellence than with the all-new Kentucky-assembled Avalon, a shining example of what our customers have to look forward to in the future.”

The 2013 Toyota Venza has received the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) highest rating for frontal, side and rollover crash tests.  Venza received five stars after NHTSA tested both the front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive models. Also called the New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA created the 5-Star Safety Ratings System to provide consumers with information about its evaluation of the crash protection and rollover safety of new vehicles.

The Detroit Free Press is reporting Toyota’s three brands – Scion, Toyota and Lexus – swept the three top spots in Consumer Reports’ annual reliability survey, which analyzes subscribers’ experiences with 1.2 million new vehicles to predict future reliability.  Of the 27 models in the brand’s lineup, 16 earned the highest rating.  The subcompact Toyota Prius C received the top score overall.  “We are basically just taking data that the consumers and subscribers are providing to us,” said Jake Fisher of Consumer Reports Magazine. Click here to read the entire story

Reasons to not buy a sports car get eliminated one by one in the FR-S. Everybody seems to fit in the manfully bolstered bucket seats, and the rear seatback folds to extend cargo space. Click here for the full story on Yahoo Autos

Toyota once again ranked the highest of automotive brands and No. 10 among all brands on Interbrand’s 2012 Best Global Brands list.  Topping the 13th annual 100 Best Global Brands report was Coca-Cola, followed by Apple, IBM, Google and Microsoft. In the automotive sector, Toyota was followed by Mercedes Benz (#11), BMW (#12) and Honda (#21).  Interbrands stated in their report that automotive brands are becoming more attuned to the emotional connection consumers have with their cars. Interbrand creates the ranking by examining a brand’s financial performance, the role the brand plays in influencing consumer choice, and strength the brand has to command a premium price or secure earnings for the company. Click here for the full story

Harsh conditions and harsh work is enough to beat up any truck. So how well did the Tundra hold up after its life on the ranch? This first episode will delve into the overall wear and tear of the Tundra. Footage from the disassembly plant will show exactly how well certain components such as the brakes, the pneumatic tailgate, shocks, springs and bushings fare against road conditions and long hours on the ranch. For more information, visit http://www.toyota.com/tundra/deconstructed for more information. Click Here to watch the Video

Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) announced today that the Toyota Tundra full-size pickup truck is slated to tow the space shuttle Endeavour during its final journey to the California Science Center on October 13, 2012, where it will go on permanent display. The Endeavour will travel a total of 12 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on city streets to the Science Center, with the Tundra towing the last quarter mile.   There is no larger or more recognizable icon of the U.S. space program’s success than the shuttle, and to have it towed by the Toyota Tundra is not only an incredible example of the capabilities of the truck, but an honor to be part of history,” said Ed Laukes, TMS vice president of marketing communications. “The entire journey is something the world will be watching, and gives us a chance to prove that the ‘overbuilt’ Tundra is built to do any job – even tow the space shuttle.” Click Here for the Full Story

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized eight Toyota manufacturing sites in North America for achieving a ten percent reduction in energy intensity through its ENERGY STAR Challenge For Industry program. Collectively, these eight sites have reduced energy intensity by nearly 24 percent from baseline. Energy intensity is measured relative to efficiency improvements in process and equipment. The ENERGY STAR Challenge For Industry program is only awarded to individual industrial sites. To gain recognition, the site’s company must be an ENERGY STAR partner. Earlier this year, Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA) received its eighth consecutive ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting the environment through energy efficiency and management. “Thanks to the efforts of our team members, Toyota has reduced our total energy use per vehicle over the last five years as we achieved greater energy efficiency across North America,” said TEMA Executive Vice President Steve St. Angelo. “This demonstrates that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen as we continuously identify new opportunities to reduce energy consumption while improving our processes.” The eight Toyota facilities recognized by the EPA include: Bodine Aluminum (Jackson, Tenn., and St. Louis, Mo.); Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Alabama (Huntsville); Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (Cambridge and Woodstock, Ont.); Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (Princeton); Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (San Antonio); and Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia (Buffalo). Several examples of reduction in energy intensity include: Plant Kaizen (Improvement) Example Description Benefits Industry Challenge Energy Reduction (From Baseline) Lighting efficiency (Bodine Aluminum, Jackson, Tenn.) Replacement of lighting in several plant areas with energy efficient florescent lights with sensors • Reduce CO2 emissions • Cost savings • Reduce energy usage 13.8% Innovative lighting technology (Toyota Motor Mfg., Alabama) Installation of Ultra Constant Discharge lighting in the plant’s parking lot • Reduce CO2 emissions • Cost savings • Reduce energy usage 24.1% Hot water boiler linkage (Toyota Motor Mfg. Canada) Installation of new controls allowing proper mixture without numerous adjustments • Reduce CO2 emissions • Reduce water usage 28.5% • Reduce energy usage • Less complexity Paint booth HVAC system (Toyota Motor Mfg., Indiana) Elimination of using outside air to cool/heat paint booth; current air intake is taken directly from plant, making temperature consistent • Reduce CO2 emissions • Reduce energy usage • Less use of HVAC system, natural gas and electricity during peak times 36% Since 2006, Toyota’s U.S. manufacturing operations have received 18 Energy Star Plant Awards from the U.S. EPA, recognizing each plant’s energy performance over the past year and scoring in the top 25 percent of its industry. http://bit.ly/MJ2xY7