Showing posts with label Toyota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toyota. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sometimes, You Have to do Things The Hard Way
Sometimes, You Have to do Things The Hard Way
Lexus demonstrates the lengths it goes to engineer automobiles that inspire absolute confidence
TORRANCE, Calif. (Jan. 18, 2011) /PRNewswire/ — There’s the easy way, and there’s the Lexus way. A lone crane slowly lifts the front end of a Lexus LS, then a second vehicle is attached using cables and stretch bars, then another and another and finally, a fifth Lexus vehicle is suspended in midair from the crane, using no support other than the strength of the LS. The gravity-defying vehicles aren’t a figment of your imagination or a camera trick. They are part of a new advertising campaign from the automaker, which debuted on Jan. 16.
“It isn’t enough to just say that we pursue perfection, we want to demonstrate the great lengths we go to in our pursuit,” states Dave Nordstrom, vice president of marketing for Lexus. “The new broadcast spot allows us to focus on the foundation of our vehicles, the chassis, and show its almost unbelievable strength. In fact, we feared that it would be so unbelievable, we invited a physicist and structural engineer to witness the shoot, to prove that it did, in fact, occur without the use of special effects or computer generated-imagery.”
Building the Chain
Instead of using special effects to tell the story, the new broadcast TV spot, titled “Chain,” is a real-life demonstration of the strength of the chassis on Lexus vehicles, with the LS taking the lead. Shot on the runway of an airport, a lone crane is used to lift vehicle after vehicle until five Lexus vehicles—an LS, RX, GS, ES and IS—are suspended in midair nose to end. Finally, an LFA comes into the shot and parks directly below the chain of vehicles, and a voiceover states, “The hard way is how Lexus inspires absolute confidence. The hard way is the pursuit of perfection.” That is the kind of confidence that enables the automaker to park the $375,000 LFA below a chain of vehicles weighing a total 21,000 pounds.
Lexus brought in a physicist and a structural engineer to participate in the shoot and witness that the vehicles were attached to each other without any supporting hardware.
The crew needed to make sure the theory that a Lexus could hold five times its weight could be made a reality. A pull test was conducted with two semi wreckers, one acting as dead man, the other as a pull to ensure the vehicle could hold at least 21,000 pounds, or five times its weight. The LS passed with flying colors, holding 29,000 pounds – 8,000 pounds more than expected!
For the final portion of the amazing, or seemingly impossible feat, stretch bars, cables and hooks were utilized to attach the vehicles one at a time to the crane and then to each other. Not only did the experiment work one time, the crew suspended the same vehicles over and over for a period of three days without needing to replace them.
Telling the Stories
In addition to the broadcast TV spot, Lexus has developed an integrated marketing campaign to continue sharing its engineering story. The campaign debuts online with a series of 14 unique videos demonstrating how and why Lexus engineers take the hard way—whether the automaker is taking a blowtorch to the leather interior to see how much heat it can withstand or testing the vehicles in hurricane-force winds and rain. Behind-the-scenes footage for “Chain” was also produced to show consumers how the vehicles were suspended in midair. All stories can be viewed at www.lexus.com/thehardway.
The multifaceted brand campaign includes a robust online, print, mobile and outdoor execution and can also be viewed at YouTube.com/lexusvehicles. The TV spot will air on network, cable prime and cable sports. It will also air during the NFL playoffs, college basketball and on full-episode players.
About Lexus
Lexus is the leading luxury automaker in the United States. With its reputation for high-quality products and exemplary customer service from its 229 dealers, Lexus has been the top-selling luxury automaker for eleven years in a row. In addition, Lexus is the luxury hybrid leader, offering five hybrids that provide the best in innovative technology and first-class luxury. When Lexus was established in 1989, it offered two models of vehicles. Now, more than 20 years later, Lexus offers variations of 10 vehicles, from the sporty CT 200h hybrid to the V10 supercar, the LFA.
Media Contacts:
Daphne Adair
(310) 615-2109
daphne.adair@teamone-usa.com
Alyssa Jones
(310) 615-2179
alyssa.jones@teamone-usa.com
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Toyota Recall: Latest Updates
Parts to Reinforce Accelerator Pedals Delivered to All U.S. Toyota Dealerships
Mailing of Notification Letters to Affected Owners Begins Today
Many Toyota Dealers Extending Hours, Hiring Additional Technicians to Complete Repairs for Customers Quickly and Conveniently
TORRANCE, Calif. , February 5, 2010 /PRNewswire/ — Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced that Toyota dealers nationwide have received the parts, information and training they need to fix accelerator pedals in recalled Toyota Division vehicles, and that repairs on involved vehicles have begun. The actual repair requires about 30 minutes of work.
The company also announced that it has begun mailing letters to owners of recalled vehicles to let them know when to bring their vehicles into a dealership. Owners will only receive a letter if their vehicle is involved in the recall. Upon receipt of a notification letter, owners will be asked to contact a local Toyota dealership to schedule an appointment to have their vehicle fixed.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and reliability of the vehicles our customers drive, and we are determined to live up to the high standards people have come to expect from Toyota over the past 50 years,” said Jim Lentz, president and Chief Operating Officer, TMS. “Everyone at Toyota is focused on making this recall simple and trouble-free for our customers,” he said.
“We’re working hard to ensure that our dealers have the resources and support they need to make sure our customers get their cars fixed quickly,” Lentz added. “The parts have been shipped, the dealers are trained, and they are already making the repairs. Many of our dealers are working extended hours – some 24/7– and adding service technicians and other staff to complete the recall campaign as conveniently as possible. I appreciate the efforts that our dealers are making to take care of Toyota owners.”
Toyota’s engineers developed and rigorously tested a solution to address the potential for sticking accelerator pedals that is both effective and simple. A precision-cut steel reinforcement bar will be installed into the accelerator pedal assembly on affected vehicles, thereby eliminating the excess friction that has caused pedals to stick in rare instances.
Toyota Dealers Going Above and Beyond to Take Care of Customers, Rebuild Confidence and Trust
Toyota dealers across the country are taking extra steps to support customers during this recall.
Many Toyota dealers will offer extended service hours, and some are planning to stay open 24 hours a day until all customer vehicles have been fixed. Others are adding greeters to their service drives, dedicating body shop capacity to expedite repairs, providing free car washes and oil changes, increasing owner communication and providing complimentary maintenance service, among other customer-focused activities.
To support these efforts, Toyota is sending checks of between $7,500 and $75,000 to its dealers in acknowledgement of the additional costs they are assuming to make it easier for customers to have the necessary repairs done quickly and conveniently.
About the Recall to Address Sticking Accelerator Pedals
On January 21, Toyota announced its intention to recall approximately 2.3 million select Toyota Division vehicles equipped with certain accelerator pedal mechanisms that may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position. Toyota vehicles affected by the recall include:
• Certain 2009-2010 RAV4
• Certain 2009-2010 Corolla
• 2009-2010 Matrix
• 2005-2010 Avalon
• Certain 2007-2010 Camry
• Certain 2010 Highlander
• 2007-2010 Tundra
• 2008-2010 Sequoia
No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are involved in these actions. Also not involved are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser, Highlander hybrids and certain Camry models, including Camry hybrids, all of which remain for sale.
Further, Camry, RAV4, Corolla and Highlander vehicles with Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) that begin with "J" are not affected by the accelerator pedal recall.
In the event that a driver experiences an accelerator pedal that sticks in a partial open throttle position or returns slowly to idle position, the vehicle can be controlled with firm and steady application of the brakes. The brakes should not be pumped repeatedly because it could deplete vacuum assist, requiring stronger brake pedal pressure. The vehicle should be driven to the nearest safe location, the engine shut off and a Toyota dealer contacted for assistance.
Separately from the recall for sticking accelerator pedals, Toyota is in the process of recalling vehicles to address rare instances in which floor mats have trapped the accelerator pedal in certain Toyota and Lexus models (announced November 25, 2009), and is already notifying customers about how it will fix this issue. In the case of vehicles covered by both recalls, it is Toyota’s intention to remedy both at the same time.
Detailed information and answers to questions about issues related to these recalls are available to customers at www.toyota.com/recall and at the Toyota Customer Experience Center at 1-800-331-4331.
Media Contact:
Toyota Motor Sales, Corporate Communications
(310) 468-5297
(310) 468-7359
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