Star Wars Toyota Celica: Where Is It?

We’ve just made an office-large bet here at autoevolution: what will happen faster - will a piece of radioactive material lose its properties or will people stop talking about Star Wars?

We obviously don’t know the answer (we couldn’t have placed our money if we had) but we do have a little clue. The official Star Wars blog is now looking for the themed Toyota Celica it gave away back in January 1978.

We are talking about the first Star Wars art car, a Celica GT Liftback. The details of the car, such as the VIN number, the winner who took it home or the dealership that offered, are unknown.

It seems that there have been a lot of efforts to find the car, but with 0 results. So, here’s what you have to do: print the adjacent image, add the “have you seen this person car” text and then place it all over your neighborhood.

Thank you for telling us about your visit, Velda!

5 Star Customer Review -

• The salesman was kind and professional. He did everything he could to make my buying experience positive. I am happy with my car!! Thank you! - Velda C.

 

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Toyota's new global design boss vows to ban the bland

The Toyota brand's flamboyant new global styling chief wants to put an end to a long tradition of conservative design.

In the future, he says, the styling of Toyota-badged vehicles will be more aggressive, reflecting the more emotional approach being called for by Toyota Motor Corp. President Akio Toyoda.

In charge of the design metamorphosis is Dezi Nagaya, a veteran Toyota designer who dresses like he's on his way to a trendy Shibuya nightclub rather than off to work at Toyota.

"Toyota has been criticized for being quiet and nonoffensive, of having too friendly an image while lacking emotion," Nagaya said during an interview at the auto show here.

"We are going to be more dynamic, more masculine, sportier, with a more obvious design theme and a face to represent the company and the brand," he said. "We have eliminated emotion. We need to pump that up."

But for the ebullient 50-year-old designer, it also means walking a tightrope -- trying to upend several generations of conservative design in a risk-averse, consensus-driven corporate culture.

And Nagaya needs to juggle design strategy for global markets that may have quite different perceptions of what a Toyota is.

So while he tosses around such words as "passion" and "emotion," Nagaya also frequently returns to expressing the need to have "rational value" in Toyota design.

Nagaya listens carefully to constructive criticism about vehicles Toyota has delivered, including some of his own work. And he says he knows Toyota's styling ethos needs to change.

That's why the concepts for the sporty FT-86 coupe, which first arrives next year as the Scion FR-S, have become more aggressive, rather than less so -- even though manufacturing engineers may wonder how they are going to bend the metal.

Of course, the new direction may give Toyota designers fits: Trying to evoke emotion in a car like the Camry.

"The Camry has a wide selection range with customers who don't want something too aggressive," Nagaya said. "But it has the responsibility of being the highlight of the lineup."

For vehicles such as the Camry and Prius, Nagaya says, the sliding scale of emotion and rationality leans more toward the rational.

"If we don't stand between those two pillars, then it won't look like our product," he said. "But each needs to have its own distinct element besides the family resemblance."

He says Toyota needs to be like "a department store," where there is a united styling language among many products that have little to do with each other. In that sense, if there are five styling cues that are similar on a Prius, Camry, Land Cruiser and FT-86, the rest can be wildly different.

This line of thinking goes back to when Nagaya was general manager of the Lexus planning department in Tokyo and one of the creators of the "L-Finesse" design language for Lexus.

In developing L-Finesse, Nagaya said he wanted to avoid what he calls the BMW design strategy of "small, medium and large sausages."

As chief designer of the second-generation Toyota Prius, which debuted in 2003, Nagaya took that thinking to the extreme.

"Some people don't know what a Toyota is, but with the Prius, people knew it was a hybrid, even if they didn't know it was a Toyota," Nagaya said.

But when overseeing the expanding Prius lineup, Nagaya said the family resemblance needs to be apparent. So even though the Prius C subcompact concept shown earlier this year seems distant from the regular Prius, the production version likely will be much closer in appearance.

"It has to keep the Prius styling language," Nagaya said. "You have to tell it's the youngest brother, that it has the Prius image. The current Prius is too serious, so the Prius C will be more optimistic.

"That's how design works," he said. "It gives people information. It tells them what the function is, what's inside. It's not just styling; it means something."

AARP Foundation Announces $12.6 Million Grant from Toyota

Support will advance the Foundation’s charitable efforts and enhance the AARP Driver Safety Program

LOS ANGELES, September 22, 2011 – Today at AARP’s Life@50+ National Event & Expo, the AARP Foundation announced a three-year, $12.6 million grant from Toyota to support the Foundation’s initiatives to reduce isolation and promote driver safety among older Americans.

 

This grant will help further the AARP Foundation’s mission to create solutions to help vulnerable, low-income older people secure their everyday essentials – food, housing, income and personal connection. The lack of safe and adequate transportation is a chief contributor to the increase in isolation among low-income, older Americans.

 

“Far too often half the people who don’t drive or no longer drive are stuck at home,” said Jo Ann Jenkins, president of the AARP Foundation.  “This grant from Toyota will help us keep the boomer generation that grew up in carpools alert to the challenges of driving safely in an era of high-tech cars and crowded roads.”

 

The AARP Foundation will contract with the AARP Driver Safety Program to:

• Collaborate with the nation’s experts to develop a new driver safety course curriculum that incorporates the most innovative approaches and advancements in driver education;
• Build awareness among older drivers and younger caregivers on the importance of keeping one’s driving skills sharp and up-to-date; and
• Broaden awareness of the program in multicultural communities and recruit new volunteers.

“Safety for drivers, passengers and pedestrians is a top priority for Toyota,” said Pat Pineda, group vice president of philanthropy for Toyota. “With this grant to the AARP Foundation we are enhancing our commitment to supporting initiatives that educate people about how to maintain safe driving habits at every stage of life.”

 

The AARP Driver Safety Program first launched in 1979. Today, it is the nation’s largest classroom/online driver safety course designed especially for drivers age 50 and older. Since the program’s inception, over 13 million participants have completed the course. The course covers the normal changes in vision, hearing and reaction time associated with aging and provides practical techniques on how to adjust to these changes. Participants also learn how to operate their vehicles more safely in today's increasingly challenging driving environment.

 

Toyota’s grant to the AARP Foundation is a significant investment in improving safety among older drivers and expands Toyota’s strong dedication to safety, which includes Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Toyota Halftime Hand Off Rallies Support for Sports-Related Causes

Toyota to Award Donations During NBC Sunday Night Football Halftime Show Based on Public Vote

Toyota today announced its "Halftime Hand Off: A Rally for Causes" program airing on the NBC Sunday Night Football halftime show, which will award a total of $150,000 to deserving sports-related nonprofit organizations based on public vote. Carrying on the philanthropic spirit of the 100 Cars for Good and Ideas for Good programs, Toyota's latest community effort is designed to aid organizations that use sports as a vehicle for change.

"The Halftime Hand Off program continues Toyota's commitment to the community," said Bill Fay, group vice president of marketing for Toyota. "We look forward to recognizing the efforts of many deserving organizations and supporting them as they strive to change the world."

To familiarize the public with Toyota's previous community involvement, the past three halftime show segments have focused on the 100 Cars for Good (Sept. 8) and Ideas for Good (Sept. 11 and 18) initiatives.  From there, an introductory video running during the September 25 halftime show will direct fans to the Toyota Facebook page to cast votes for deserving non-professional sports associations and sports-related charities.

Toyota, in partnership with Causes.com, will pre-select eligible non-profit organizations to participate in the Halftime Hand Off program. Each week, four organizations will be profiled on the Toyota Facebook page and fans may vote for the charity they feel is most deserving of support. The organization receiving the most votes each week will receive a $10,000 donation from Toyota and will be featured during the following week's halftime show segment.

Public voting begins on September 21 and will continue throughout the 2011 NFL season. Voters may cast one vote per day per voting cycle. Voting is limited to U.S. residents only. To learn more about the Toyota Halftime Hand Off, visit www.facebook.com/toyota.

Toyota FT-HS Concept

FT-HS — hybrid powertrain meets sports-car fundamentals

Pairing a potent hybrid powertrain with essential sports-car fundamentals, the FT-HS is a mid-priced sports car that integrates ecology and emotion in a concept that addresses the question, "What is a suitable sports car for the 21st century?"

Boasting a powerful V6 3.5L engine, the FT-HS is coupled with Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive^® to produce a target power output of approximately 400 horsepower and a projected zero-to-60 acceleration in the four-second range. At a mid-priced market position, the FT-HS would be a true "attainable exotic" with 21st-century performance.

A sculpted front and rear remove mass around key functional components, while the roof has a distinctive scooped-out section designed to reduce aerodynamic drag and provide head room at the key areas.

The FT-HS's interior features create a dedicated driver's cockpit that includes a cross-car instrument panel structure and delta-wing driver pod. An integrated instrument panel surrounds the driver, creating an enclosed pod effect. Armrests flow seamlessly into the door and surrounding interior. Seating is optimized for a lightweight appearance and function: The seating accommodates four and then converts to a two-seater when the roof retracts.

Check out what sets us apart from the rest!

There's a hybrid for everyone!

Only four more days until the FT-86 makes an appearance at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor show!

A big thanks to Steven for writing this great review!

5 Star Review on Yelp -

• "I needn't say how happy i am with everything done. Thank you everyone. You should go no where else." - Steven C.

 

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Toyota's Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle 'ready by 2015'

Toyota's Highlander Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle (FCHV) will be ready for the market by 2015, after the automaker said it has reduced costs significantly in recent years.

The model will go on sale within four years, with an estimated price tag of $50,000, just under twice the amount for a standard version.

Toyota is in the process of testing over 100 Highlander FCHVs in the US ahead of the planned launch date.

The firm's hydrogen fuel cell technology has been continually evolving since its first generation fuel cell vehicle hit the road in 2002, explained Chris Hostetter, Toyota Motor Sales Group vice-president of strategic resources.

He said the last nine years have seen improvements in range, durability and efficiency of fuel cells, while significant cost reductions in materials and manufacturing have also been realised.

"Fuel cell technology is viable and ready for the mass market," he added.

"Toyota plans to bring a fuel cell vehicle to market in 2015, or sooner, and as you see … we will not be alone in the marketplace."

One major barrier to the widespread adoption of hydrogen fuel cell technology is a lack of points where people can fill up their vehicle, despite the Highlander FCHV managing 500 miles on a single tank of hydrogen.

"Building an extensive hydrogen re-fuelling infrastructure is the critical next step in bringing these products to market," Mr Hostetter noted. "But infrastructure development is no easy task."

Earlier this year, a collaborative effort by Shell, Air Products, Toyota, South Coast Air Quality Management District and the Department of Energy resulted in a new hydrogen fuelling facility in Torrance, Calfornia.

But the growth of fuel cells will depend on more projects like that one, Mr Hostetter said.

"It will require coordination and cooperation between vehicle manufacturers … government agencies … hydrogen producers … and end users," he explained.