march 2012

Toyota Attribute No. 2: A Commitment to Safety

Why Buy A Toyota?Updated 3/1/12

Why do smart buyers choose Toyota? In years past, the answer to that question was obvious. Toyota vehicles were clearly better than their competitors, especially when it came to their core strengths of quality, durability and reliability (QDR).

Today, QDR remains a Toyota hallmark. But there’s no denying that some other makes have narrowed the gap, making Toyota’s advantages less pronounced.

That means your skills as a product presenter have never been more important. While there may have been a time when Toyota vehicles practically sold themselves, now the fate of many transactions depends on how well you make the case for Toyota.

To help you with this, we’ve assembled the following brief overview of some key brand-wide attributes that set Toyota apart from the competition. Take some time to familiarize yourself with these traits. But don’t stop here. Seek out supporting material on eShowroom, such as the “Why Buy A Toyota” pocket key card, and delve into the details.

Bottom line: The better armed you are with information, the better equipped you’ll be to help your customers make an informed purchase decision.

Toyota Attribute No. 1: A Commitment to R&D

Here’s a Guide to Helping Your Customers Make an Informed Decision

In the last fiscal year, Toyota spent about $1 million per hour worldwide on research and development. That added up to around $8.76 billion on an annual basis, making Toyota the No. 1 automaker on this score and in the top 10 among all companies.1

This investment is a key to innovation. And innovation is a key to bringing to market vehicles that meet if not exceed the needs and wants of Toyota’s customers.

For example, this level of R&D spending makes it possible for Toyota to develop a wide portfolio of alternative-fuel technologies, including hybrids, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cells. No one can say for certain what the future holds on this front, but we can say for certain that Toyota will be ready for it.

A significant portion of Toyota’s R&D work is focused on enhanced safety systems, including technologies that might eventually supersede the Star Safety System™ now standard on all Toyota vehicles. Toyota is also searching for ways to make its vehicles even more fuel efficient and even less of a burden on the environment. And, among many other innovations, it invests in new manufacturing processes that consume less energy and produce less waste.

Every Toyota vehicle comes standard with the Star Safety System™ active safety features and incorporates numerous passive safety features. And some offer a wide range of available advanced safety technologies.

For example, crumple zones with tailored blanks; airbags with an Occupant Classification System (OCS); and Emergency Locking Retractor/Automatic Locking Retractor (ELR/ALR) seatbelts are some of the passive safety features built into every Toyota. And Lane Keep Assist (LKA), Lane Departure Warning (LDW) and Vehicle Dynamics Integrated Management (VDIM) are just a few of the advanced safety systems available on some of our models.

Why Buy A Toyota?Why Buy A Toyota?

Toyota Attribute No. 3: A Commitment to Efficiency

Toyota vehicles more than hold their own when it comes to performance. But the pursuit of power is always balanced with the need to be fuel efficient.

One tangible example of this philosophy is Dual Independent Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (Dual VVT-i). This system helps the engine “inhale” and “exhale” more efficiently by continuously adjusting the timing of the intake and exhaust valves, improving power, efficiency and exhaust emissions.

Toyota Attribute No. 4: A Commitment to Connectivity

Toyota recognizes that vehicles, in addition to being modes of transportation, are fast becoming mobile hubs for essential communications and information exchange. As such, more of Toyota’s vehicles now incorporate technologies such as Bluetooth® wireless streaming, and offer voice-activated navigation and Safety Connect, Toyota’s onboard safety and security service.

The latest example of this trend is the introduction of Entune™, a collection of popular mobile applications and data services offered in select Toyota vehicles.

Toyota Attribute No. 5: A Commitment to Quality

Exceptional build quality has been and always will be a Toyota given. The more time a customer spends with a Toyota vehicle, up close and personal, the more they’ll appreciate this foundational trait.

To help bring this to their attention, you might mention that Toyota vehicles are produced using computer-monitored welding equipment, which helps ensure precise and consistent welds. You can point out—for starters—that vital circuits, such as those used in the fuel-injection computer, oxygen sensor and airbag sensors, use gold-plated electrical connectors, which resist oxidation and corrosion and conduct current better, thus improving

reliability and performance. And you can note that anti-chip primer is applied to the front edge of the hood, lower door panels and rocker panels to help protect them from stone chips and other minor debris thrown by the tires.

Toyota Attribute No. 6: A Commitment to Value

The net effect of these and other intrinsic Toyota characteristics is value, both on the day the customer drives their new vehicle off the lot and—more importantly—several years down the road.

Be sure your customers know that Kelley Blue Book named Toyota the top brand for resale value in 2012.2 Mention that 80 percent of Toyotas sold in the last 20 years are still on the road.3 Point out that Toyota tied luxury brands Lexus and Cadillac atop the American Customer Satisfaction Index for 2011.4 And let them know that Toyota is rated as the top-rated manufacturer when it comes to cost of ownership, according to IntelliChoice.5

We could continue, but by now the overall message should be clear: Buying a Toyota is still the smart choice.

©2012 TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. COPYING OR ANY OTHER REPRODUCTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A. IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., by the publication and/or dissemination of this publication does not create any warranties, either expressed or implied, as to Toyota products. The information contained herein was up-to-date at the time of publication, but may subsequently be changed or added to without notice and without incurring any obligation. Reliance on this information creates no

liability for Toyota. This publication is produced for use as an information sales aid. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., its employees, representatives, and/or agents shall not be held liable for any omission of data or inclusion of erroneous data even where said omission is alleged to have been relied upon by a buyer of Toyota Products.

1 According to the 2011 Global Innovation 1000 study conducted by Booz & Company. 2 2012 Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards: kbb.com. Toyota: 2012 Best Resale Value Brand. 2012 Camry: Best Resale Value Award in the mid-size car segment. 2012 FJ Cruiser: Best Resale Value Award in the midsize SUV segment. 2012 Tacoma: Best Resale Value Award in the mid-size pickup truck segment. 3 Based on Polk U.S. Vehicles In Operation registration statistics MY 1991-2011 as of July 2011. 4 2011 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) founded at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. theacsi.org. 5 Highest-rated manufacturer based on 2012 IntelliChoice Cost of Ownership Data Analysis.

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