We hope you all have a very Happy Easter this weekend! What's your best caption for this weaselly little Easter Bunny?

We hope you all have a very Happy Easter this weekend! What's your best caption for this weaselly little Easter Bunny?

The 2013 Toyota RAV4 has outstanding features

Wallpaper Wednesday: What outdoor activities does your Toyota help you do?

Toyota Recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with Its Ninth Consecutive Energy Star Partner of the Year Award

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has recognized Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc. (TEMA) with its ninth consecutive ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award for its continued leadership in protecting our environment through superior energy efficiency.

Toyota’s ninth Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award is the most among any automaker that assembles vehicles in the United States and represents all of Toyota’s 13 manufacturing facilities in the region.  During the past decade, cumulative cost savings at these 13 North American vehicle, engine and parts plants totaled more than $370 million and energy use has been reduced by 15 percent per vehicle produced, enough energy to power 27,000 average households for 10 years.

“Toyota is honored to be recognized with our ninth ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellent Award,” said Robin Haugen, general manager of production engineering - Plant and Environmental Engineering at Toyota.  “It gives us greater motivation to identify ways to minimize our impact on the environment while helping our bottom line.  Our team members’ commitment to reducing energy and water consumption across our operations demonstrates that when good ideas are shared, great things can happen.”

Demonstrating its environmental leadership, last summer eight Toyota manufacturing sites in North America were recognized by the EPA for achieving a 10 percent reduction in energy intensity through its ENERGY STAR Challenge For Industry program, awarded to individual industrial sites.  Collectively, the eight sites reduced energy intensity by nearly 24 percent from baseline (energy intensity is measured relative to efficiency improvements in process and equipment).

Examples of energy improvements at Toyota’s manufacturing facilities include:
 

• All North American plants: 

Lighting retrofits resulted in annual savings of 17 million kilowatt hours, enough to power 1,500 average households while eliminating 10,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.  Total cost savings topped $1.2 million.

• Bodine Aluminum: 

Replaced a 20 year old oxidizer (used for odor control) with a new, more energy efficient oxidizer, improving energy efficiency by nearly 14 percent and cost savings of $75,000 annually.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada: 

Its Woodstock plant installed a cooling system using outside air to chill water during the cold season, reducing energy use by nearly two percent, resulting in saving of more than $100,000 annually.  Its Cambridge plant installed linkage-less boiler burner controls, improving boiler efficiency by more than 15 percent, resulting in saving of more than $112,000 annually.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana:

Installed an adiabatic humidification system in the paint booth improving energy efficiency by 35 percent and saving more than $1.1 million annually.  An adiabatic system uses atomized high pressure water instead of steam to control humidity & temperature. 

The plant also reduced paint booth downdrafts by an average of 15 percent in all manual zones saving more than $600,000 annual with zero investment. 

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky:

Installed an adiabatic humidification system in the paint shop that cut steam consumption by more than 65 percent and cut total energy use by 12 percent, resulting in saving of more than $1.4 million annually.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi: 

As Toyota’s Model Sustainable Plant for the North American region, Mississippi has used innovative design and best practice techniques from other Toyota facilities to become the most energy efficient Toyota plant in the region. For example its paint shop utilizes a unique system that eliminates the need for a paint oven and installed a low pressure adiabatic humidification system.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas: 

Installed modified burner controls on a Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO), resulting in energy efficiency improvement by more than 16 percent and savings of $25,000 annually.  An RTO is an industrial process for the treatment of exhaust air to destroy air pollutants emitted from the process.

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, West Virginia: 

Installed a compressed air metering system that cut energy use by four percent, resulting in saving of more than $300,000 annually.

Additionally, Toyota has collaborated with more than 180 suppliers across North America to share energy saving ideas and best practices.  Ten of Toyota’s North American manufacturing plants are zero landfill.

The 2013 Partner of the Year - Sustained Excellence Awards are given to a select group of organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership year after year. These winners have reduced greenhouse gas emissions by setting and achieving aggressive goals, and employing innovative energy efficiency approaches. These awards recognize ongoing leadership across the ENERGY STAR program, including energy-efficient products, services, new homes, and buildings in the commercial, industrial, and public sectors. Award winners are selected from the nearly 20,000 organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.

Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom

Toyota Announces 2013 Corolla LE and S Special Edition Models

Toyota Motor Sales has announced two 2013 Corolla Special Editions that will offer consumers appealing equipment at an attainable price point. 

The 2013 Special Edition Corollas will offer unique standard features in two grade levels, LE and S. The LE Special Edition offers equipment targeted at consumers who value comfort and convenient entertainment, including 16-inch alloy wheels, Display Audio with Navigation and Entune™ (three-year subscription), Power and heated Beige leather-trimmed seats, Special Edition floor mats and exterior badging, and a unique Black Currant Metallic exterior color.

The sporty Corolla S Special Edition will provide youthful styling along with 17-inch alloy wheels, Display Audio with Navigation and Entune™, Sport fabric seats coordinated with a unique Hot Lava exterior color, and Special Edition floor mats and exterior badging.

A total of 7,500 Corolla special edition vehicles (2,250 LE and 5,250 S) will be manufactured during a two-month period beginning in April at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada (TMMC).  Each Corolla Special Edition model will be offered at the MSRP $20,550 (pricing excludes the Delivery, Processing, and Handling (DPH) fee of $795). The Corolla Special Editions arrive at dealerships in late April.

Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom

Young Entrepreneurs Win Scion "Motivate" Program

Scion announced today the 10 talented and passionate young entrepreneurs who each won a Scion vehicle, Scion accessories, $10,000 and career mentoring as part of the Motivate program. The winners include a nonprofit music program leader, documentary filmmaker and a graphic designer, reflecting the competitive program's focus on the creative arts community.

Launched in October, the Motivate program drew applications from all over the country that described individuals' variety of entrepreneurial goals and efforts around art, fashion, music and film. A panel selected 50 semi-finalists to participate in a three-day workshop last week in Santa Monica, Calif. with leading entrepreneurs covering topics such as growing sales, establishing a physical space and online development. The participants incorporated new insights learned into their Motivate entries and final winners were chosen. The 10 winners are:

    Jahmal C. of Chicago, an author and publisher
    Jeff P. of Denver, a backpack manufacturer
    Kate B. of Portland, Ore., a co-owner of a touring theater company
    Lily S. of Dallas, an owner of a graphic design and letterpress company   
    Peter K. of Villa Park, Ill., a digital music magazine publisher
    Philip G. of Nashville, Tenn., a nonprofit music program leader
    Reed G. of Annapolis, Md., an artist and import retail store owner
    Roseli I. of Oakland, Calif., an import accessories business owner
    Tobi A. of San Francisco, a custom wood product designer
    William T. of Chicago, a documentary filmmaker

 
All winners will be individually paired with a relevant business mentor for future career-building and had their choice of any Scion vehicle. The remaining semi-finalists each received a $1,000 grant and left the workshop with helpful industry knowledge that they can apply to their business moving forward.

“We've learned so much and winning the prize, it means the world to me and my business,” said Kate B. “I won the Scion xB and that will make a huge difference for my company. It’s a touring theater company, and we'll be able to tour safely and fit everything we need to in our car.”

Reed G. also chose the xB for her fair trade accessories boutique.

“My business now revolves a lot around being transient, so I go to festivals, I vend, so to have a very reliable car and one that has a lot of space to carry my inventory is pretty amazing,” she said. “Even if I hadn’t won this amazing prize, I still just felt like it was so beneficial for me as a business owner to be involved in this amazing workshop.”

Other winners planned to use the new vehicles as part of their marketing efforts by wrapping them with custom designs. Winners already had plans for how they would invest the prize money back into their businesses, including new equipment and increasing their online presences.

“The Motivate winners live and breathe the passion Scion hoped to find and elevate through this first-ever program for young entrepreneurs,” said Scion Vice President Doug Murtha. “These individuals’ continued success is what we wish for all of our customers, who continue to show us they relate to forging their own paths and creative expression. In its 10 years, that passion remains part of the Scion story.”

Courtesy of Scion USA Newsroom