Tag: Toyota

Commentary: Consumer Choice over Automobile Mandates

RealClearWire

The most refreshingly true statements articulated by Gill Pratt at the RealClearEnergy Future Forum are “Not everyone is the same” and “One size does not fit all.” As Toyota’s chief scientist, Pratt understands very well the complex nature of a very diverse consumer base (check the video link above to see his part).

That is why a multi-path approach that enhances the customer’s quality of life is the most productive strategy. America’s motorists come from a variety of backgrounds who purchase vehicles for a variety of purposes. “Our job as a manufacturer is to adapt and provide customers with choices to satisfy their needs and desires,” says the executive.

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Toyota Executive Calls Market for Electric Vehicles Not ‘Mature Enough,’ Georgia Has Almost 4,000 Charging Stations

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The United States, including Georgia, isn’t ready to fully adopt electric vehicles (EVs), and hybrids continue to be a better alternative for the near term, a high-ranking Toyota executive told the  Wall Street Journal.

High EV prices and a small charging infrastructure are holding the market back, Jack Hollis, executive vice president of sales at Toyota Motor North America said during “a virtual event with journalists,” the Journal reported in its news story.

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Toyota Says Plants Operating at Normal Capacity After Ambassador Bridge Protests Cleared

Peter D'Abrosca

Automobile industry giant Toyota said Wednesday that its manufacturing plants that were affected by the Ambassador Bridge blockade are now back to normal operations.

“Yes, as of today, we have resumed normal production operations at the three U.S. plants and two Canadian plants that were impacted by this challenge,” Toyota spokeswoman Kelly Stefanich told The Michigan Star. “We plan to make up the lost production in the coming weeks as the supply chain stabilizes.”

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Toyota Smashes GM’s 90-Year Streak as Top U.S. Car Seller

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Japanese automaker Toyota overtook General Motors in 2021 as the top car seller in the U.S., breaking the American manufacturer’s 90-year streak, Reuters reported.

Toyota sold 2.332 million vehicles, while GM sold 2.218 million, automakers said Tuesday, Reuters reported. GM’s dethroning marks the first time the Detroit company did not secure the most sales since it overtook Ford in 1931.

GM‘s sales were down 13% from the year before, in part due to the computer chip shortage that forced manufacturers to focus on their most popular models, Reuters reported. In contrast, Toyota was up 10% and is believed to have weathered the shortage better than others in the industry.

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Electric Vehicle Push Is Sparking Massive Deforestation, Environmental Damage

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A major nickel mine in a Philippines rainforest has continued to expand, mowing down acres of trees as global demand for minerals essential for electric vehicle manufacturing surges.

The Rio Tuba mine in the region of Palawan supplies an important mineral for electric vehicle batteries in Tesla and Toyota cars, but the mine is nearing an expansion that would cause it to grow from four square miles to 14 square miles, according to an NBC News investigation. The growth of the mine would cause massive deforestation of the land which environmentalists warn could destroy the area’s ecosystem.

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Toyota Says It Will Stop Donating to Republicans Who Objected to the 2020 Election

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Toyota announced Thursday that it will stop donating to Republicans who objected to certifying President Joe Biden’s victory in January.

The company said in a statement, first reported by The Detroit News, that its previous donations to Republican election objectors “troubled some stakeholders.”

The statement comes two weeks after an Axios report revealed that the Japanese automaker’s corporate PAC donated more to Republicans who contested Biden’s victory than any other company, doing so by a significant amount. It donated $55,000 to 37 objectors, over $25,000 more than any other corporation.

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West Tennessee Site Likely to be Considered for New Toyota-Mazda Auto Plant

Wendy Wilson

  A site near Memphis will likely be considered for a new auto manufacturing plant to be built jointly by Toyota and Mazda. The plant will create up to 4,000 jobs, according to a news release issued by the Japanese car companies on Friday. They plan to spend $1.6 billion on the plant, with the goal of starting operations in 2021 pending government approvals. The plant will produce about 300,000 vehicles a year, and will make Toyota Corollas and crossover models that Mazda plans to introduce to the North American market. The news release did not say where the plant would be built, but real estate expects believe the Southeast is a definite possibility, according to the Commercial Appeal. A leading Tennessee industrial site is the Memphis Regional Megasite, 4,100 acres of vacant farm land off Interstate 40 in Haywood and Fayette counties between Memphis and Jackson, Tennessee. State officials bought the land a decade ago to attract a Toyota car plant, but the company decided to put its Corolla assembly line west of Tupelo in Blue Springs, Mississippi. Because the new plant will build the Corolla, chances are it will be located near the Mississippi plant to be close to parts supply companies, reports…

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