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In conjunction with Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Teen Vogue and Toyota announced today “Arrive in Style,” a safe driving campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving among teenage girls and inspire them to make a mutual commitment with their mothers to drive safely. While cars today are safer than ever, automobile crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers. In 2010 seven teens between the ages of 16 and 19 died every day on average from motor vehicle injuries. “We are thrilled to partner with Toyota on this important initiative. When we saw the scary statistics around distracted driving, we knew this was a cause worth taking on,” said Jason Wagenheim, Teen Vogue Vice President and Publisher. “Teen Vogue’s influential young readers are the perfect ambassadors not only to participate in this initiative, but also to help build awareness and educate their peer groups on the importance of driver safety. Toyota, with the success of their ongoing work in this arena, is the ideal partner.” “Teen Vogue really shares our commitment to help keep teens safe, and with their reach and readership they’ve been a great partner to help amplify our longstanding efforts to empower teen girls to be safer drivers,” said Marjorie Schussel, Corporate Manager of Corporate Marketing for Toyota Motor North America (TMA). “We also are excited to involve moms since our approach to teen safety has always included outreach to parents as well.” The “Arrive in Style” campaign – developed in partnership by Teen Vogue, Toyota Motor North America and their ad agency of record, Dentsu America – launches this week and includes print, digital and social media elements that will run through February 2014. Kicking off with the May print edition of Teen Vogue, which hits stands this week, monthly advertorials will feature helpful tips and advice from Toyota on different safe driving topics. The campaign will also include stories and online videos of Teen Vogue readers and their mothers about their commitment to driving safely, underscoring the special roles that mothers and daughters play in inspiring each other. Extending into digital, the campaign will drive Teen Vogue’s audience to the “Arrive in Style” online hub . The site will feature Toyota’s Mutual Driving Agreement that mothers and daughters can e-sign and share via Facebook for a chance to win monthly prizes. In addition to signing the Agreement, teens can upload a photo on the microsite of them and their mom “air driving” for a chance to win a trip to New York City to be featured in the February 2014 issue of Teen Vogue. Study Reveals Distracted Driving Is Pervasive Among Teen Girls “Arrive in Style’s” unique approach of involving mothers is based, in part, on the recent study by Toyota and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), which found a significant correlation between teen and parent driving behaviors, suggesting that parents are a major influence on a teen’s driving habits. “We know from our Study with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute that parents who engage in distracting driving behaviors more frequently have teens who engage in distracting behaviors,” said Dr. Tina Sayer, Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) Principal Engineer and teen safe driving expert. “It is critical for parents to talk to their teens about driving safety and to always be the drivers they want their teens to be.” In conjunction with the launch of “Arrive in Style”, Toyota released new findings from the Study regarding driving behaviors of teen girls: 
For additional findings from the Study, please visit www.toyota.com/csrc.
“Arrive In Style” is the latest initiative from Toyota that is designed to help keep teens safe on the road. Toyota Driving Expectations (www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com) provides hands-on, real world defensive driving courses that go far beyond what is taught in standard driver education courses, while Toyota Teen Driver (www.toyotateendriver.com) offers free online teen safety resources to parents, teens, educators and schools. The Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center (www.toyota.com/csrc) works with leading North American Universities, hospitals, research institutions and agencies on research designed to better understand teen drivers’ risks and behaviors and identify effective recommendations to help keep them safe.
Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
This year’s winners emerged from more than 400 registered teams representing nearly 3,000 middle and high school students nationwide. The 10 winners were selected from 32 teams that qualified to enter the Final Challenge by winning in one or both of the two previous Challenges that were held from September to February. The earlier phases of the contest, which required teams to address the topics of land, water, air or climate, challenged teams to make a difference for the environment in their local communities. The Final Challenge asked teams to reach beyond the local community and inspire environmental action around the world.
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom
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Spotted for the first time at the Geneva Motor Show, it’s expected to use a version of the 200 hp 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine that’s used in the Lexus ES300h. While the bigger ES300h gets 40 mpg on the American EPA cycle, the IS300h could bring in 50 mpg on the European tests.
Courtesy of House of Japan
Mrs. Margolis writes a travel blog called "Pearls of Travel Wisdom." A few weeks ago she wrote a piece on our Service Facilities! Head on over to the blog and give it a read. While you're there, check out the rest of her excellent writing! Thank you very much, Mrs. Margolis!!!
Hello LexusTV Audience,
In partnership with the world renowned Weinstein Company, we premiered two out of five Lexus Short Films this past week. As our brand continues to evolve into more than 80 countries, this is an opportunity to transcend language and speak to a global audience. Ranging three to seven minutes in length, each director was challenged to interpret the over-arching idea that "Life is Amazing."
There were many stars on the red carpet at the premiere, but the LFA was the star on Top Gear, one of the most influential automotive TV shows. Its host Jeremy Clarkson declared our supercar "The best car I've ever driven." Check your local BBC America listing to check out this episode. Also, look out for the redesigned LFA page on Lexus.com in March.
There's about a month left to go in the 2013 Crown Jewel Recognition Program. There are many ways to earn bonus points; be sure to encourage your team to exceed the program requirement.
Lexus is once again the automotive marketing partner for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. This year, we created an ad that stands out as much as the IS itself. Get your QR code app ready and check out "Blends Out," or watch this episode to witness the interactive experience.
Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE Thank you for watching. We'll see you on the next episode of Spotlight on March 11th!
Courtesy of LexusTV
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Club Lexus
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Lexus remains the most dependable vehicle brand after three years of ownership but the Detroit 3 continue to close the gap with foreign rivals, J.D. Power and Associates says.
Lexus, Porsche, Lincoln, Toyota and Mercedes-Benz top Power's 2013 Vehicle Dependability Study. Each of those brands also placed among the top seven in the market research firm's 2012 survey of problems reported after three years of ownership.
Land Rover, Dodge, Mitsubishi, Jeep and Volkswagen finished at the bottom of the latest report.
Across the industry, owners of three-year-old 2010 cars and light trucks reported 126 problems per 100 vehicles, an all-time low and a 5 percent improvement from 132 problems per 100 on 2009 models a year ago.
"Manufacturers keep improving product quality," said David Sargent, Power's vice president of global automotive.
Domestic nameplates improved at a slightly higher rate than imports, and narrowed the dependability gap to 10 problems per 100 vehicles surveyed, Power said.
And for the first time since Power started tracking it in the 2009 study, all-new and redesigned vehicles had higher quality than carryover vehicles, Sargent said.
Launch vehicles, models that were significantly redesigned or new for 2010, averaged 116 problems per 100, while those carried over unchanged from the previous year scored 133.
"The rapid improvement in fundamental vehicle dependability each year is more than offsetting any initial glitches that all-new or redesigned models may have," Sargent said. "That juggernaut of improvement overcomes [traditional] launch problems.
"More importantly, it means that vehicles being launched today are very likely to be more dependable than three-year-old models are now."
Buick, Honda, Acura, Ram, Suzuki, Mazda and Chevrolet also finished above the industry average – 126 problems per 100 models studied.
Power tallies problems reported in the past 12 months by the original owners of three-year-old vehicles. The 2013 study released today covers 2010 cars and light trucks representing 32 brands. To create whole-number separation among brands, Power reports problems per 100 vehicles, with lower scores indicating greater reliability.
Dependability scores have improved steadily across the industry in the 24 years that Power has conducted the study. The average problems per 100 vehicles was 216 in the 2007 study, showing an improvement of almost a full problem per vehicle in six years.
Ram improves most
Consumers are less tolerant about problems with their cars and light trucks. Dissatisfied owners are less loyal to that brand based on earlier Power studies, which cross-match survey responses with data on vehicle purchases and trade-ins.
Of owners who reported no vehicle problems, 54 percent bought or leased a vehicle from the same brand the next time. For those with three or more problems, brand loyalty fell to 41 percent.
In the new study, 22 brands improved dependability from last year and nine slipped.
Ram posted the biggest one-year improvement, scoring 52 points better to finish with 122 problems per 100, jumping from No. 29 in 2012 to vault into the top 10 tied for ninth this year.
"Chrysler improved the Ram pickup remarkably between the 2009 and 2010 model years," Sargent said. That era also marked the U.S.-led rescue of Chrysler through an alliance with Italy's Fiat S.p.A.
Suzuki, which is exiting the U.S. auto market, Mazda, Chrysler, Infiniti and Kia also showed major gains in the study.
Power said Mitsubishi, Scion, Cadillac and Hyundai reported the biggest increase in problems in the study.
In this year's Power study, Lexus and Porsche had less than one problem per vehicle (under 100 per 100) and Land Rover had more than two (220 per 100).
Lexus rose to No. 1 last year from the fourth spot in 2011. The brand ranked as the industry's most dependable marque for 14 years until 2009, when Buick and Jaguar tied for No. 1. Porsche and Lincoln had taken top honors since then.
But most brands are grouped tightly in the middle, with less than a third of a problem, 29 per 100 per car separating No. 3 (Lincoln and Toyota tied at 112) from No. 22 (Hyundai at 141).
The industry's continuous improvement in long-term reliability is good news for U.S. car buyers, Sargent said.
"Consumers have more assurance than they've ever had," he said. "If you want to either keep your own car more than three years or are in the market for a late-model used car, you're in good shape."
Power said the most dependable 2010 model was the Lexus RX -- with 57 problems per 100 models surveyed. It's the first time an SUV or crossover has topped the list of models studied for long-term reliability.
Courtesy of Automotive News
Additional examples of Toyota’s commitment to the highest standards for quality, safety, reliability and retained value include: Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom
Courtesy of Lexus Magazine
Courtesy of Lexus Magazine
Courtesy of Lexus USA Newsroom
On the simplest level, it determines the character of a car: an LFA can be bright orange, but an LS cannot. On a more complex level, Lexus colors have to excel beyond the average mass-market vehicle—in other words they need to be worthy of a premium brand. And above all else, Lexus colors must appeal to a type of driver who’s pretty discerning.
Understandably, therefore, Lexus has an entire department dedicated to nailing all of the above, whether it’s a color-option update for an existing model, a full color line for a completely new model, or a one-time choice for a concept.
“In simple terms, our main challenge is to use color to bring out and maximize a car’s character,” explains Yoichiro Kitamura (left), who heads up the Lexus Color Design Department. “That takes us right into the psychology of color, and how we can use depth and clarity to accentuate the shape and size of the vehicle.”
Creating a Lexus color is more involved than holding a swatch up to the light and taking a vote. The color-development process takes between two and three years, and is a collaboration between Japan, the U.S., and Europe. Throughout the process, input comes from Lexus engineers, salespeople, and customers.
When choosing a new car’s color line, the first point his department considers, says Kitamura, is car type and character: sedan or SUV, sports or luxury. Not surprisingly, Kitamura’s team also works closely with the Lexus Material Engineering Department to find premium traditional “Japanese” colors and textures that work with the advanced technologies that go into Lexus body paints.
Kitamura notes that the years-long process for new colors and textures includes testing them on materials long before their launch on the model. “There are always technical difficulties in accurately translating the colors that I have in my mind,” says Kitamura. “You get discrepancies with monitors, inks, and any color samples. Ultimately we always use natural sunlight to verify colors.”
“Sometimes I think there can be too much choice for Lexus vehicles,” Kitamura says with a chuckle. “We have about 30 main choices of Lexus body colors, not to mention the limitless LFA options. However, shades of black and silver are very popular Lexus choices, so we put much effort into enriching and differentiating these particular colors with unique textures and depths.”
So do any of the Lexus color specialists have their own favorites?
One tells us that Black Opal Mica was “love at first sight,” but another likes the combination of Flare Yellow Mica Metallic on the CT 200h. Yet another maintains that the depth and vividness of the IS’s Red Mica Crystal Shine is unmatchable.
Another color specialist, a materials engineer, chimes in with his own favorite: Sonic Silver. “This one was designed to look like pure metal,” he says. “It presented us with many unique challenges during development—and we Lexus engineers and color specialists always like a challenge.”
Courtesy of Lexus Magazine
Courtesy of Lexus Magazine
Courtesy of Toyota USA Newsroom
