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Andrew Gilleland is new VP of Scion, Murtha moves to Toyota

Scion is getting some fresh blood at the top as Andrew Gilleland (pictured above) becomes the new vice president to take over for Doug Murtha. Gilleland is no stranger to the division, and served as the national field operations manager early in the brand's launch. Murtha moves to take leadership of corporate strategy and planning for Toyota in North America. "Now it's Andrew's charge to spread the message of the style and value of the iM and iA, as well as a third new vehicle that will be added to the lineup," Toyota division group vice president Bill Fay said in the announcement. Gilleland moves up from being general manager of Toyota's central Atlantic regional office. He takes the reins at Scion at a potential turning point for the division. Sales volume for the year through August is down 22.1 percent to 32,691 vehicles, but some big changes are afoot. The long-lived xB is likely about to bow out, and the brand is launching two new products with the iM and iA. They're getting some celebrity advertising, too. Spy shots also suggest the FR-S might get a refresh soon. Plus, the third model Fay teases is expected to be a compact crossover, possibly with styling inspiration from the Toyota C-HR concept. Scion could get a big boost by having an entry in that booming segment. New Products, Previous Player - Scion Introduces New Vice President Andrew Gilleland Returns to Youth Brand September 24, 2015 TORRANCE, Calif. (Sept. 24, 2015) – In the early days of Scion, when xAs and xBs were flying out of dealers' showrooms, Andrew Gilleland was the National Field Operations Manager for the youth brand. He was responsible for working with dealers to ensure they embraced the new products and processes Scion offered. Now, Scion is entering its teen years, and Gilleland is back as Vice President of Scion, once again encouraging dealers to sell its new models and investigate new methods to attract young buyers. "Scion has sold nearly a million vehicles since I left in 2005 and I'm excited to be back leading this team," said Gilleland. "The iM 5-door hatchback and iA sports sedan arrived at dealerships earlier this month and the response has been great.

2015 Toyota Sienna goes overboard to promote a SpongeBob movie

Good marketing is a huge portion of making a film successful, and Toyota and Nickelodeon are going overboard to promote the upcoming SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water with this custom 2015 Sienna inspired by the cartoon character at the Los Angeles Auto Show. The exterior is decorated to look just like SpongeBob, but his maniacally smiling face on the hood and windshield might be pure, uncut nightmare fuel for a segment of the child population. The ring on the roof actually blows bubbles too, and the look gets finished off with matching blue and yellow wheels. If you get past SpongeBob's crazed expression and take a peek inside, you find even more cartoon cues. Each of the seats is upholstered to evoke the shows stars, and all of the trim has nautical inspiration as filtered through the series' animation style. The floor is a sandy beige, blue wood trim runs over the dashboard and sides and the roof has airbrushed clouds. Of course, it's hard not to miss a ship's wheel that replaces the usual steering wheel. While it's certainly bizarre, kids might dig the bright colors, while their parents check out the Sienna. The van's also going on a cross-country promotional tour to advertise the movie ahead of its February 6 release. Scroll down for all of the info about this cartoon car. Nickelodeon and Toyota Partner to Create 2015 Toyota Sienna Inspired by the SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water Three-Dimensional SpongeBob Concept Car to Take Families on an All-Wheel Drive Adventure Promotional Tour Leading Up to Feature Film's Feb. 6, 2015 Premiere November 18, 2014 NEW YORK – Nov. 18, 2014 – Nickelodeon and Toyota have partnered to transform everyone's porous pal into a new 3-D concept car based on Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies' upcoming film, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. The SpongeBob Movie 2015 Toyota Sienna features a custom three-dimensional SpongeBob SquarePants exterior, complete with the character's Superhero Incredibubble mask that blows real bubbles at the top of the car. The interior features seating inspired by each of SpongeBob's Bikini Bottom pals, along with a wood-grain dashboard, a custom Captain's steering wheel, a blue-sky head liner and a sand-inspired floor. The one-of-a-kind vehicle will be unveiled on Nov. 18 at the LA Auto Show and will then roll out on a cross-country promotional tour leading up to The SpongeBob Movie's Feb. 6, 2015 premiere.

Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan Leaf top environmental performer, 50,000th Renault Zoe

Renault has produced its 50,000th Zoe electric car. A Frenchwoman named Sylvie took ownership of the milestone vehicle at the Flins plant where it rolled of the line. She says her children helped convince her to buy the all-electric vehicle, which Sylvie intends to use as a daily driver. The Renault Zoe is Europe's best selling EV since its launch in 2013. Renault reports a 98-percent satisfaction rate with the Zoe. Read more in the press release from Renault. Toyota will use a biosynthetic rubber called biohydrin in its engine and drive system hoses beginning in May 2016. Jointly developed by Toyota, biohydrin is a plant-based rubber with a 20-percent reduction in material lifecycle carbon emissions compared to petroleum-based rubber. Toyota plans to use the compound in even more components in the future, including brake and fuel line hoses. Read more from Toyota. So far in 2016, only 27.5 percent of hybrids and EVs are traded in for another electrified vehicle, according to Edmunds. That's down from 38.5 percent in 2015. 33.8 percent of electrified vehicles are traded in for SUVs. Despite the trend of EV and hybrid owners switching back to traditionally powered vehicles, average fuel economy isn't suffering. "This is an economics trend, since today's low cost of gas no longer makes it worth paying the price premium of hybrids and EVs," says Edmunds Director of Industry Analysis Jessica Caldwell. "And there are so many fuel-efficient vehicles on the market today that environmental concerns weigh less than they might have in years past. When you're buying a vehicle that can get over 30 mpg, you can still say you're doing your part to help the environment." Read more from Edmunds. Environmentally, electrified vehicles outperform their conventional combustion counterparts throughout their lifecycle. A study from the Automotive Science Group (ASG) finds that while production of advanced powertrains comes with a greater financial burden, most vehicles make up for it through efficiencies during their use phase. The ASG lists the 2016 Nissan Leaf as its best performer, with 47 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than the best-performing conventionally powered car, the Honda Fit. Rounding out the ASG's top five environmental performers are the Ford Focus Electric, Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius Two Eco, and Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid.