Toronto, Ontario — At last year’s auto show in Toronto, Toyota was in full damage control.
This year they’re back to touting the new products on the show floor and those coming down the pipe. They were also anxious to talk about how the recalls enacted lots of changes within the company.
“In a word, Toyota has been transformed,” said Sandy Di Felice, Director External Affairs, Toyota Canada. “The result is a company that is safer, smarter, stronger, and, this is a word you don’t often associate with Toyota — we’re also a lot sexier”.
Sexier?
Di Felice later admitted that she was using the word somewhat tongue in cheek; her way of introducing the notion of a more “passionate” Toyota.
She noted that Toyota CEO, Akyo Toyoda, is on a mission of late, to “ignite the passion that exists within Toyota… and to ignite the hearts and minds of our customers and dealers”.
For evidence, Di Felice pointed to the Lexus LFA at centre stage, the company’s premier attraction at this year’s show, and certainly the sexiest and most passionate device created by the automaker over the last few decades.
This was the supercar’s Canadian auto show debut, but all ten examples designated for Canada were spoken for long ago. Its chassis is constructed of a unique carbon fiber reinforced plastic, made possible by a special carbon fiber loom developed in-house by Lexus engineers. Power is courtesy of a 552-hp, 4.8-litre V10, ensuring 0-100 km acceleration in 3.7 seconds, and a top speed of 375 km/h.
Racing and performance are obvious “passion” flash points, but Di Felice feels that the automaker’s passion-fostering initiatives can also be seen in its continued leadership in environmental engineering, as displayed on the other featured auto show vehicle, the new Prius v (the upcoming “wagon/CUV” version of the famous hybrid), and via newly announced social media efforts.
This year they’re back to touting the new products on the show floor and those coming down the pipe. They were also anxious to talk about how the recalls enacted lots of changes within the company.
“In a word, Toyota has been transformed,” said Sandy Di Felice, Director External Affairs, Toyota Canada. “The result is a company that is safer, smarter, stronger, and, this is a word you don’t often associate with Toyota — we’re also a lot sexier”.
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| Photo: Michael Wong |
Sexier?
Di Felice later admitted that she was using the word somewhat tongue in cheek; her way of introducing the notion of a more “passionate” Toyota.
She noted that Toyota CEO, Akyo Toyoda, is on a mission of late, to “ignite the passion that exists within Toyota… and to ignite the hearts and minds of our customers and dealers”.
For evidence, Di Felice pointed to the Lexus LFA at centre stage, the company’s premier attraction at this year’s show, and certainly the sexiest and most passionate device created by the automaker over the last few decades.
This was the supercar’s Canadian auto show debut, but all ten examples designated for Canada were spoken for long ago. Its chassis is constructed of a unique carbon fiber reinforced plastic, made possible by a special carbon fiber loom developed in-house by Lexus engineers. Power is courtesy of a 552-hp, 4.8-litre V10, ensuring 0-100 km acceleration in 3.7 seconds, and a top speed of 375 km/h.
Racing and performance are obvious “passion” flash points, but Di Felice feels that the automaker’s passion-fostering initiatives can also be seen in its continued leadership in environmental engineering, as displayed on the other featured auto show vehicle, the new Prius v (the upcoming “wagon/CUV” version of the famous hybrid), and via newly announced social media efforts.
 |
| Photo: Michael Wong |