Toyota unveiled the FT-1, a concept sports car that harkens back to the Supra it made in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.
The reveal came a year after General Motors
drew rave reviews for the seventh generation of the Chevrolet Corvette, which won 2014 North American Car of the Year, and could tap into a renaissance of high-performance sports cars at the U.S. economy finally gains traction.
Although the Supra isn’t being revived in name — as was rumored among auto enthusiasts — the Japanese automaker is reviving the Supra in spirit.
Calling the grand coupe the Toyota FT-1, the automaker said the vehicle — designed by Americans in Toyota’s Calty Design Research studios — stands for “Future Toyota.”
Calty President Kevin Hunter called the FT-1 “the ultimate, world-class sports car,” saying it signaled a pivot in strategy away from “consensus”-driven design.
The concept version could portend the arrival of a production model that would inject a dose of fresh energy into Toyota’s staid design image — a stated goal of President Akio Toyoda.
The company did not say whether it would build the concept, but it did announce that enthusiasts can drive the car virtually. It will be available as a downloadable vehicle for PlayStation3’s Gran Turismo 6 real driving simulator on Tuesday. The car, the company said, was created digitally to demonstrate what a production FT-1 could achieve.
Alex Shen, a chief designer who also was on hand for the announcement, pointed out some of the design features: wind-swept curves, deep intakes, sling-shot cockpit, steering wheel controls — and a glass window in the hood to show off the car’s engineering.
The car also has a pointy nose, an allusion, perhaps to a Formula One car.It
■ Full coverage: Visit Freep.com/autoshow for more stories, photo galleries and videos
■ Related: Chevy Corvette, Silverado named North American Car and Truck of the Year
“This is a symbol of Toyota’s design future,” Hunter said. “This is the kind of project we dream of working on.”
Toyota’s press conference at the North American International Auto Show channeled the same energy embodied in the Supra about 15 years after Toyota stopped producing it.
As journalists awaited the press conference, a giant box was hanging from the ceiling.
When the event began, the box dropped slowly to the floor — and several people in “Star Wars” storm trooper outfits rushed onto the stage to “open” the box.
They immediately encountered a hiccup. The box wouldn’t open right away. A technical assistant rushed to the stage and helped pry the box open.
The FT-1 concept emerged from its shell, sporting a dramatic rear spoiler and sweeping drop-off from windshield to hood.
“The goal is simple but profound: develop a future generation of products that connect on an emotional level,” Hunter said.
Toyota plans to introduce eight completely new or updated models this year and expects to sell 2.3 million vehicles in the U.S., or about 100,000 more than it sold in 2013.
Via Detroit Free Press
Ardmore Toyota Living Beyond Breast Cancer
On Tuesday December 3rd, 2013 Ardmore Toyota & Central City Toyota made a donation to the Living Beyond Breast Cancer Foundation in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Located just down the street from Ardmore Toyota on Lancaster Ave. in Haverford. Living Beyond Breast Cancer (LBBC) is dedicated to assisting people, whether they are newly diagnosed, in treatment, recently completed treatment, are years beyond or are living with metastatic breast cancer. They are also there for the family members, caregivers, friends and healthcare providers to provide breast cancer information and support. Want to donate to LBBC? Click Here: http://www.lbbc.org/Donate Thank you to Jean, Sandy, Brittaney and the entire staff at LBBC.
Toyota Earns Best Brand Award and Six Category Honors from Kelly Blue Book’s 2014 Best Resale Value Awards
Kelly Blue Book’s editors awarded Toyota the 2014 Best Brand prize as part of the online publication’s (www.kbb.com) 2014 Best Resale Value Awards. These awards recognize vehicles that show less depreciation during the first 5 years of ownership, and thus can represent wiser financial choices for consumer purchase. Based on Kelly Blue Book’s calculations, on average, a 2014 vehicle will lose 39.7% of its value after five years. The Kelly Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards recognize overall brand value and model-year vehicle category winners. In helping Toyota garner top honors with the 2014 Best Brand award, Toyota’s trucks made a strong showing while helping the brand earn awards in six vehicle-segment categories. Click here for the full story
MANNA Pie in the Sky Fundraiser
Ardmore Toyota & Central City Toyota helped as official pickup centers for the annual MANNA Pie in the Sky fundraiser November 26th and 27th, 2013.
Every pie sold through the Pie in the Sky fundraiser will allow MANNA to provide a client with a full Thanksgiving dinner for four people. As the largest fundraiser of the year, the goal of this event is to sell 8,000 pies and raise more than $200,000 for the organization.
Especially for people at acute nutritional risk due to life-threatening illness, MANNA prepares and delivers delicious nourishing meals and counsel, empowering individuals to battle illness and improve their quality of life.
We had over 200 pies picked up at our two dealerships.
Ardmore & Central City Toyota thank all the guests who picked up their pies at our dealerships.
Thanks for your support! Visit www.mannapa.org or www.mannapies.org for more information!
8 Toyota Models Win 2014 ALG Residual Value Awards
In Hollywood, they say it’s all about the residuals. If you own a Toyota, the same might be said for the car in your driveway. On the eve of Tinsel Town’s automotive event of the season, Toyota models were awarded 8 Residual Value Awards from ALG, the industry benchmark for residual values and depreciation data.
Avalon – Fullsize Car
Prius C – Alternative Fuel Vehicle
Highlander – Midsize Utility Vehicle – 3-Row
Sequoia – Fullsize Utility Vehicle
FJ Cruiser – Off Road Utility Vehicle
Tacoma – Midsize Pickup
Land Cruiser – Premium Fullsize Utility Vehicle
Toyota Launches TeenDrive365 to Help Families Navigate One of the Most Dangerous Years of a Teen’s Life
The first year a teenager gets their driver’s license will be one of the most dangerous of their lives and while cars today are safer than ever, automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. On Monday November 18th, 2013, Toyota launched TeenDrive365 a driving safety platform to help families navigate the critical first year of a teen’s independent driving. Click Here to learn more.
New Owner Celebration
On behalf of Ardmore Toyota Service Director Josh Fletcher, Central City Toyota Service Director, Jamie Haberle and everyone who was a part of the Celebration, we would like to thank all the new owners who visited on November 14th for the New Owner Celebration. #NewOwnerCelebration #Toyota #Ardmore
The New Owner Celebration is a special event for customers who purchased or leased a New Toyota from Ardmore Toyota. You can learn about optimizing fuel exonomy, making the most of your vehicles technology & safety features, vehicle maintenance and more from our Toyota factory trained technicians, Service Directors and our exclusive Technology Geniuses. We offer two convenient locations of Ardmore Toyota & Central City Toyota for all of your vehicles maintenance and service needs.
Want to find out more about our New Owner Celebration? Email us at events@ardmoretoyota.com
The 2014 Toyota Sienna has received a 5-Star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the highest rating given by the agency. NHTSA measures frontal, side and rollover crashworthiness as part of its New Car Assessment Program.
Toyota is Top 5 in Most Innovative Companies
In its annual ranking of the “50 World’s Most Innovative Companies,” Boston Consulting Group placed Toyota in the Top 5 Most Innovative Companies and the highest automotive brand.
This year, for the first time, more auto manufacturers than technology companies are in the top 20. The report cites the automotive surge is based on manufacturers:
• trying to meet increased fuel-efficiency standards
• striving to make vehicles safer
• and improving in-car entertainment and communication systems
Have you prepared your car for the winter weather that’s fast approaching? Here are some tips to make sure you are fully prepared for whatever this year’s winter weather decides to throw at you.
Regular Maintenance
Now’s the time to get your car up to speed on all of its regular maintenance. That means taking care of any fluids that may have been neglected while you were out enjoying the summer sun or going in for that 60,000-mile tune-up if you’re due. Check, change and/or top off your oil, coolant, brakes and transmission fluid as needed. In the case of your oil or automatic transmission, make sure you get a high-quality filter, too.
When looking at your car’s brakes, check to see if your rotors are warped or cracked. Do they have deep grooves or are the pads worn close to their minimum clearance? Your vehicle will be experiencing harsher conditions soon, so avoid any potential problems as soon as possible. Make sure all your lights are working properly to ensure good visibility. New bulbs are easy to install yourself or easy to have installed when getting your vehicle serviced. The same goes for windshield wipers. If your blades are more than six months old, odds are it’s time to swap them out for new ones.
Check Your Tires
Go ahead and have your tires rotated and inspected. The last thing you need in cold, wet weather is to be driving on bald or dry rotted tires.
Consider looking into snow (or winter) tires, depending on your location or length of time you’ll be spending in the snow. Winter tires are made with special low temperature resilient rubber compounds and have deep treads that grip unplowed snow and ice.
Don’t forget to make sure your spare tire has enough air in it. Once you’ve made sure everything looks good, take a look at your tire pressure.
Stock Your Car
Stranded by the side of the road can be dangerous in the best of conditions, but when sub-zero temperatures or bad weather is involved, it could become deadly. Carrying these supplies is essential:
– a blanket
– jumper cables
– a flashlight
– chains
– a first-aid kit
– a small knife
– flares
– water gloves
– small shovel
– waterproof matches
– ice scraper
– a bag of sand or kitty litter to help provide traction if your car is stuck in the snow
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