The Toyota Camry consistently led midsize sales throughout 2012, so it should come as no shock that the sedan is the best-selling vehicle in its class overall for the year. The Camry
sold a total of 404,886 units for the year, a full 73,014 cars more than second-place finisher Honda Accord, at 331,872.
In third place at 302,934 units sold was the Nissan Altima, a new model of which was introduced mid-year. The Ford Fusion came in fourth place, with sales of 241,263 units. The Hyundai Sonata continues the brand’s market share-grab with sales of 230,605 units, up from the 225,961 Sonatas sold in 2011. That number is good enough for a repeat performance of the prior year, with the Sonata again landing in fifth place.
The Chevrolet Malibu has consistently been a mid-pack finisher in 2012, and that trend is echoed in the model’s final tally of 210,951 – good enough for sixth place. The Hyundai Sonata’s corporate cousin Kia Optima finished in seventh, with 152,399 units sold for the year. Chrysler 200 earns eighth place with sales of 125,476 models, while the mechanically similar Dodge Avenger lands in 10th position with 96,890 units sold. Though it finds itself in ninth place, the Volkswagen Passat earns the distinction of “most improved,” more than quintupling its sales total from 2011, with 117,023 units sold. Rounding out the group are the Subaru Legacy at 47,127 units and Mazda6 at 33,756 units, placing 11th and 12th, respectively. With a new Mazda6 on the way, though, the model may escape a last-place finish in 2013.
Clear Channel’s Total Traffic Network and Toyota have teamed up to give drivers real-time traffic and weather updates on their dashboard.
In a three-year deal, Total Traffic Network, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Media and Entertainment, will work with Toyota in order to relay real-time updates of both traffic and weather conditions straight to a driver’s dashboard via HD radio technology.
Announced at 2013’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the deal means that a number of 2013 Toyota and Lexus models will have the feature as standard on their dashboard, which will show updates through both text and graphics.
The new in-dashboard services will include The Weather Channel’s Doppler weather radar, as well as real-time weather forecasts from TTN’s traffic updates. In addition, both local and national forecasts will be available for over 120 cities in the U.S., according to Toyota.
Traffic updates will be provided through maps and incident coverage reports which are updated every two minutes, as well as upcoming 15, 30 and 45-minute predictive traffic information.
Both services will be provided for free to customers. Toyota also plans to eventually expand the service coverage beyond HD radio, and make the service accessible for vehicles equipped with Entune by connection to a driver’s smartphone.
Kevin Dorsey, President of National Media Groups for Clear Channel Media and Entertainment commented:
“This new agreement with Toyota highlights our ability to leverage our distribution, programming and technology platforms to bring consumers what they want, where they want it and without annoying subscriptions. Our digital expertise helps to provide one-of-a-kind solutions for our partners and we are looking forward to joining forces with Toyota to further enhance the driving experience.”
Toyota and Clear Channel are not the only ones focusing on dashboard applications and technology in the new year. Ford has also announced an update to their cars, the Glympse app, which can be used to tell friends and family where you are via GPS technology and voice commands when on the road.
Toyota Nascar Stock Car Gets Wrapped
Vinyl wraps aren’t just for modified road cars. They’re also the method a growing number of racing teams use to emblazon their cars with their sponsors’ logos. For record-setting race winner Kyle Busch and his #18 Toyota Camry NASCAR Sprint Cup racer, that sponsor is M&Ms, which calls for a rather colorful livery. In this time-lapse video, the Joe Gibbs Racing team hand-applies the pre-printed vinyl wrap onto the matte-black Camry stock car with considerable skill, stretching, cutting and molding the vinyl to the car’s every contour.It’s a heck of a thing to watch coming together, taking an hour and forty minutes in real time but compressed to less than three and a half minutes for your viewing pleasure. Check it out in the clip below.
Hybrids Are Best Value for Auto Buyers
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
Santa arrives at Central City Toyota!
On Saturday December 15th, 2012, Santa visited the all new Toyota Certified at Central City. Service & Sales customers of all ages had the opportunity to meet Santa and take pictures with him. In addition, Santa was giving out gifts to all the kids and Candy Cane’s to everyone.
On Friday December 14th, 2012, Ardmore Toyota & Central City Toyota participated in the Annual Toyota Tundra Food Drive for Philabundance. $1000 of Food was purchased and dropped off at the Philabundance Food Distribution Center in South Philadelphia. Among the attendees included members of the Phillies, Flyers, Toyota Dealers, Philabundance Volunteers and of course the Phillie Phanatic was there. To learn more about Philabundance click here: http://www.philabundance.org/
Ardmore & Central City are proud to help the community and those who need nourishment, especially during the holiday season.
Santa Arrived Early!
On December 13th, 2012 the 18th Police District in Philadelphia had Santa giving away gifts to elementary school children in the West Phila area. Max Paul’s Central City Toyota donated $500 for them to purchase gifts for the children.
Question of the Day: What was your favorite gift you received during the Holidays?
A few of our customers recently visited Le Rendez-Vous Toyota in France on the avenue des Champs-Elysées.
We thought it would be neat to show everyone these amazing pictures of the Toyota Showroom and the special concept cars that they have there.
Do you know there is a car there where you can take a picture with your smartphone and your picture actually appears on the entire body of the car! Check out this blue sleek concept car in the pictures.
Here is a link to the website (in French) http://www.toyota.fr/rendezvous/about_us.tmex
Question of the Day: What was the most exciting place you ever visited outside of the United States?
The Scion FR-S earned recognition on December 5th, 2012 from Car and Driver, the world’s largest automotive publication, as part of its 10 Best cars of 2013. “Making the Car and Driver 10Best list in its first year is another example of the energy and enthusiasm building around the FR-S and the fun driving experience it offers,” said Scion Vice President Doug Murtha. “The success of the FR-S reflects the Scion mission to give drivers vehicles that fit their lifestyles and express their individuality.”
Click here to read the story and article in Car & Driver
From Most Efficient Full-Line Fleet to Zero-Waste Plants, Toyota Details Environment Commitment
Here are some of the highlights as it relates to the Toyota 2012 North American Environmental Report
-Toyota has the most fuel-efficient fleet of any full-line auto manufacturer in the United States, and Prius accounts for half of all hybrids on the road in North America. In 2012, the Prius c and Prius Plug-in Hybrid joined the family.
-Toyota is leading the industry with 37 facilities certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The total includes 11 Toyota and Lexus sites, and 26 Toyota and Lexus dealerships.
-TogetherGreen, an initiative launched by Toyota and the National Audubon Society, awarded more than $1 million in innovation grants for environmental projects in 2012.
Click Here for the News Release
To view the report, please visit http://www.toyota.com/about/environmentreport2012
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