make things better: Why a Made-for-Canada Toyota is More Than Just a Great Vehicle

Rapid changes in the value of the Canadian dollar mean that consumers are experiencing market conditions that are almost unprecedented in Canadian history. This uncertainty also impacts Canadian manufacturers and retailers - and those in the auto industry are no exception.

Toyota Canada Inc. is addressing this issue in a responsible manner - one we believe will continue to provide real value to our new and current customers and the Canadians we employ both directly and indirectly.

As we make adjustments to meet current market conditions, we continue to return to a basic tenet: Value. Each vehicle made for sale in Canada is specifically equipped for the Canadian marketplace. We carefully select certain options and features, on a model-by-model basis, that we believe are best suited for Canada's challenging climate and driving conditions and the tastes of our customers. These may differ from equipment and options selected for vehicles distributed and sold in the U.S. market. Customers might believe that the only real difference between Canadian and U.S. vehicles relates to vehicle gauges (which are in kilometres on vehicles made for Canada and in miles on those destined for the United States). Depending on the model, however, Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicles may include any of the following features:

  • Heavy-duty heaters, batteries, and alternators;
  • High capacity window washer fluid reservoirs;
  • More robust weather stripping and seals;
  • Added paint chip protection;
  • Mudguards;
  • All-season tires;
  • An outside temperature gauge;
  • Heated mirrors;
  • Towing packages;

Flexible, open and valuable incentives

Toyota Canada Inc. is also committed to providing flexible, open and valuable incentives to Canadian drivers. What's more, we have structured our current programs and incentives on a wide variety of vehicles to provide as much value as possible to everyone who purchases, leases or finances any qualifying vehicle through their local Toyota Dealer - not just those few who can buy a vehicle outright.

Price repositioning

Pricing on certain 2008 Toyota vehicle models has been carefully repositioned by a combination of reductions in the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) and/or the addition of upgraded value in the form of new standard features and specifications:

  • We have reduced the MSRP on the base 2008 Toyota Prius hybrid - the most popular hybrid vehicle in the world - and included a number of new standard features. With the MSRP reduction and the added features, Canadian customers receive over $4,000 in value on the 2008 Prius at no additional cost.
  • We have also reduced the starting price on certain 2008 Toyota Tundra models - this year's Truck King Challenge winner - by $1,825.
Additional incentives

In addition to price repositioning, Toyota Canada is offering our customers many additional incentives on Made-for-Canada vehicles. These include gas gift cards or cash equivalent discounts on many popular Toyota vehicles, such as the Camry, RAV4, Sienna, Avalon, Tundra and Highlander. The value of these incentives varies by model, but may be up to $4,000 on select 2007 Toyota vehicles and up to $5,000 on select 2008 Toyota vehicles. Please visit our promotions page for a current list of incentives available in Canada or see your local Toyota dealer for details.

All Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicles are also automatically covered by our Toyota Roadside Assistance program, which provides help 24 hours a day, 365 days per year, for three years.

A streamlined financing or leasing process

Beyond this, Made-for-Canada vehicles are eligible for available new vehicle promotions, programs, and incentives offered by Toyota Financial Services in Canada. Toyota Financial Services has committed to offering very aggressive leasing and financing rate reductions on popular Toyota vehicles - not only current 2008 models, but also many from the 2007 model year. Toyota Financial Services has also waived the security deposits on all 2007 and 2008 models leased in December.

In addition, only Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicles may qualify for other financial incentives or programs offered by Toyota Canada, including:

  • The Toyota Canada Graduate Program;
  • Toyota Canada Fleet Elite Incentives.

Add it up

Best of all, these incentives - the price repositioning, vehicle-specific programs, and attractive finance and lease rates - are designed to provide our cash, lease and finance customers with as much value as possible. We feel it's unfair to ask Canadians to choose between incentives and low rates, so many of our vehicles are available with both. In this way, Canadians realize genuine value when purchasing, leasing or financing a new Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicle.

Tax/government considerations

But there's more: New Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicles may be eligible for certain incentives provided by the Canadian Federal and/or certain provincial governments. These include:

  • The Federal ecoAUTO rebate for fuel-efficient vehicles; and
  • Provincial sales tax breaks and rebates for hybrid vehicles.

Vehicles purchased in the U.S. will not qualify for the Federal ecoAUTO rebate, although some provincial rebates still apply. However, once imported into this country, a vehicle may still be subject to the following:

  • The Green Levy (an Excise Tax) on fuel-inefficient vehicles;
  • GST and provincial sales tax;
  • Import duties of 6.1% on vehicles built outside North America;
  • Any cost to modify or retrofit a vehicle to ensure it complies with Canadian regulations. These may include the installation of daytime running lights, seat belt anchorages, child restraint tether anchorages and modifications to comply with unique bumper requirements;
  • As of September 1, 2007 a new Federal government regulation was introduced requiring every vehicle in Canada to include a robust vehicle immobilization system. All Made-for-Canada Toyotas manufactured after September 1, 2007 are equipped with the Canada-specific immobilizer system.

Warranty/servicing benefits

Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicles may enjoy certain warranty and servicing benefits not necessarily available for vehicles intended for other markets. These include:

  • Special warranty policy adjustments and extensions from Toyota Canada Inc. that are specific to Made-for-Canada Toyota vehicles. These may include no-cost or reduced-cost replacements of components to ensure owner satisfaction;
  • A streamlined warranty process: When a Canadian Dealer works on a vehicle covered by a U.S. warranty, it may take longer to confirm coverage, secure approvals and process the repairs.
  • Access to Replacement Part and Components: Toyota Canada stocks replacement parts and components for Canadian-specified vehicles so that repairs can be completed in a timely manner. Toyota vehicles distributed in the U.S. may have equipment or components unique to the U.S. market, which may require additional lead time to secure replacement parts. This may result in additional time to carry out any necessary repairs or servicing.
  • Toyota Canada Inc. offers optional extended coverage for servicing and repairs (ECP - Extra Care Protection). This coverage is only available for Made-for-Canada vehicles.
  • Special Service Campaigns: Owners of Toyota vehicles purchased in the United States may not receive timely notification of safety-related service campaigns. In addition, where a safety recall is specific to a U.S. vehicle, a Canadian dealer may not be able to carry out any necessary repairs quickly if replacement parts are not readily available in Canada. Securing replacement parts from U.S. sources may require additional lead-time, resulting in delays in carrying out any necessary repairs or servicing.

A trusted relationship

Toyota has been a part of Canadians' lives for more than four decades and in that time we've experienced many economic swings. Through all of this, we have steadily grown in Canada and have expanded our dealer network significantly. Toyota Canada Inc. now supports more than 230 independently owned Toyota Dealers who serve our customers from coast to coast.

Buying or leasing a Made-for-Canada Toyota establishes a trusted relationship that will last throughout the ownership cycle:

  • Customers gain access to Canadian Toyota Dealers' expertise on Made-for-Canada vehicle specifications;
  • Customers benefit from Canadian Toyota Dealers' knowledge of Canadian support and service programs.
  • Customers are automatically enrolled in Club Toyota for online tracking of a vehicle's service history, customer financial information and warranty information.

Toyota's investment in Canada

Toyota in Canada has also expanded in this country beyond sales and service by building Canadian-based operations responsible for vehicle parts and distribution, employee and Toyota Dealer staff training, warranty and customer service, wholesale and retail vehicle financing and vehicle and part manufacturing.

  • In Delta, British Columbia, Canadian Autoparts Toyota (CAPTIN) makes aluminum wheels for the global market;
  • In Cambridge, Ontario, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC) employs some 4,600 Canadians directly to produce some of the most popular vehicles in Canada and the United States. These include the Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix and Lexus RX 350.
  • In 2008, TMMC will significantly increase Toyota's Canadian manufacturing presence when its new plant in Woodstock, Ontario begins production. This plant will assemble another popular Canadian vehicle - the Toyota RAV4 - and employ up to 2,000 people directly.
  • In addition to direct employment, Toyota's operations indirectly generate thousands of jobs for Canadians working at components suppliers, logistics companies, and other partners.

The story continues?

As we have grown in Canada, Toyota Canada has consistently monitored the health of the economy and has adjusted its products and services accordingly to help ensure Canadians receive genuine value for their dollar - regardless of its strength in currency markets.

The Canadian dollar's recent strength has set new modern day records, reaching and surpassing parity with the U.S. dollar. As we move forward in these uncertain economic times, Toyota Canada will stay attuned to market conditions and respond as quickly as possible, and in a responsible manner, to continue to deliver value to Canadians.



THE WEAPON OF CHOICE

Prior to the advent of NASCAR's new-generation Sprint Cup racecar, which was phased in starting in 2007, virtually every driver had a favorite weapon in his fleet of 15 or so cars each team maintains.
As far back as the 1970s, Darrell Waltrip was found of waxing rhapsodic about "Bertha," a car he won 19 races with and often referred to as his girlfriend. By the same token, Jeff Gordon won a dozen races in the 1990s with a car called "Blacker," for the coat of black primer it was initially covered in.

But that was back in the days when clever crew chiefs could move body locations around, reposition frame rails, run different rooflines and make all manner of subtle - and sometimes not so subtle tweaks - to personalize their cars to fit what their drivers liked.

When the new-generation NASCAR Sprint Cup car came along in 2007, though, things changed radically. Body locations were fixed, and aerodynamics were virtually identical from car to car. Teams couldn't be nearly as creative in tweaking their cars as they used to, and as a result each car became much more like the other ones in a team's fleet.

So did that mean drivers no longer have favorite cars?

We caught up with the two Toyota teams in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to find out the straight story.

"I think the generation before, was more in tune with their fleets of cars," says Mike Ford, crew chief of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota of Denny Hamlin, which won the final race of the NASCAR "regular season." "You had better man-to-machine bonds than what you have now. Now, it's a little more technical, the fleets are a lot closer together than they once were."

Technology, an area where Toyota is a leader in motorsports, is indeed key to the process of evaluating cars, according to Brian Vickers, driver of the No. 83 Red Bull Racing Toyota.

"It used to be a superstition thing - that's just our best car and we can't figure out why," Vickers says of the car selection process. "Now I think the teams really understand why it's the best car. They can twist the chassis and understand where that number is with the bodies, why the car holds more weight."

Generally speaking, once a car is raced, it is sent back to the shop, stripped and virtually rebuilt from the chassis up, a turnaround process that according to Ford typically takes about three weeks.

With that turnaround time in mind and the brutal grind of 38 races in 42 weeks, teams can't simply haul a Bertha or a Blacker back to the shop, wash her and wax her and stick her back in the hauler. Instead, which car will run at what track is scheduled out 12-15 weeks ahead of time.

And typically, crew chiefs have technical measurements that help them select a car, everything from aerodynamic drag and downforce to chassis stiffness. But a bit of art remains in the selection process to go along with the science.

"You still have some cars that are a little better than others and you lean towards those, but to have a driver have a favorite car, it's really not that way anymore," says Ford. "We go with the technical numbers, rather than personal preference a lot of times, although the car we won Pocono with, the body on it isn't very good. Your tools can lead you astray at times. The body on the car isn't very good in comparison with a lot of other cars, but it's the first car we've won with this year."

And so the driver's role is much less than it used to be in picking a car to go to the track. " My input is very limited, but we did bring what we felt was our best car, but not because of a superstitious reason maybe like we would have 20 years ago, but more because of a scientific reason," says Vickers.
Sometimes it's even simpler than that, Ford says.

"The crew chief picks the car. There are times when you'll call the driver up and say, 'What are you thinking? What do you want to do here?' Most of the times he says, 'Whatever you want to do.'"


2010 Prius Plug-in Hybrid Debuts at Frankfurt Motor Show

Toyota takes another step forward in hybrid technology with the introduction of the 2010 Prius Plug-in Hybrid (PHV) Concept vehicle, unveiled at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Based on the third-generation Prius, the PHV Concept expands Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive technology. Making use of first generation lithium-ion battery technology, the PHV allows electric operation at higher speeds and longer distances than conventional hybrids. When fully charged (and that takes about 90 minutes through a standard electrical outlet), the vehicle can reach an electric-only range of approximately 20 km and achieve highway speeds in electric-only mode. For longer distances, the PHV concept reverts to "hybrid mode" and operates like a regular Prius.

"This is an important next step in the world's evolution of hybrid technology," said Stephen Beatty, Managing Director, Toyota Canada Inc.

Beginning in late 2009, Toyota will ship out a test fleet of 500 Prius PHV vehicles across the world. This program will let Toyota better understand customer expectations for plug-in technology. As well, the program will serve to evaluate the first generation lithium-ion battery's durability, reliability and performance.

"Our goal is not to be first in the market with this technology; it is to ensure that it is the best technology for our customers," said Beatty. "This demonstration program will allow real world experience to create a vehicle that will be accepted and embraced by real drivers."