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Toyota World's Top-Selling Carmaker For Second Year

Toyota remained the top-selling automaker for a second year in a row, beating U.S. rival General Motors by some 270,000 vehicles in 2013, and set an ambitious target to sell more than 10 million vehicles this year. That would mark a milestone as no automaker has ever topped annual worldwide sales of 10 million. Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday it sold a record 9.98 million vehicles worldwide last year, up 2 percent from the previous year. The Japanese automaker has made an impressive comeback from an earthquake and tsunami that devastated northeastern Japan in 2011, damaging auto suppliers and hobbling production. Toyota also outlined plans to sell 10.32 million vehicles and produce 10.43 million vehicles in 2014. General Motors Co. sold 9.71 million cars and trucks worldwide last year, outselling Volkswagen AG of Germany at 9.5 million. Toyota recaptured the global sales crown in 2012 from GM, which had been the top-selling carmaker for more than seven decades until being surpassed by Toyota in 2008. Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan, Prius hybrid and Lexus luxury models, had strong sales growth last year in overseas markets, although sales fell in long stagnant Japan. Toyota's U.S. sales totaled nearly 2.24 million vehicles, up 7 percent from the previous year. Its China sales were also strong, surging 9 percent to 917,000. Toyota remained optimistic about prospects this year for both regions, expecting sales to grow 3 percent in the U.S. to 2.3 million vehicles, while adding 20 percent in China sales to 1.1 million. The company was typically low-key about the bragging rights for being No. 1, reiterating its comments from previous years that it was merely making one car at a time to appeal to global consumers. GM has also expressed similar sentiments, but being the top seller is a key morale booster for the employees and related companies. The healthy results at the three rivals reflect the momentum of growth in the auto industry. Toyota has undergone tough times in recent years, such as a massive recall fiasco in the U.S. involving more than 14 million vehicles for sticky gas pedals, faulty floor mats, problematic brakes and many other defects, spanning several years from 2009. Related Gallery AOL Autos Test Drive: 2014 Toyota Highlander Toyota Ownership sales selling

Toyota and Lexus recalling 235,000 hybrid CUVs and sedans over separate issues

When it rains, it pours. Toyota has announced a pair of separate but voluntary North America recalls covering approximately 235,000 vehicles built between 2006 and 2011. The larger of the two recalls targets Toyota's hybridized crossovers, the Lexus RX400h and Toyota Highlander Hybrid. 133,000 units, including 2006-2010 Highlander and 2006-2008 RX crossovers are covered in the campaign. The other recall affects 102,000 IS350 sedans, IS350C convertibles and GS350 sedans built between 2006 and 2011.
With the CUVs, the faults in the parallel circuits of the transistors can cause heat damage in the inverter assembly, triggering an abundance of warning lamps and sending the vehicle into limp mode. The Lexus sedans are being recalled due to loose bolts on the variable valve timing controller. Detected by unusual underhood sounds on startup, the issue can cause the engine to stop while driving. The inverter issue is also triggering similar recalls in Japan and Europe.
At the moment, it's unclear if any of these issues have caused any crashes or injuries. Toyota says it plans to notify owners of the recall via snail mail. Additional information for owners can be found on the recall sites for Toyota and Lexus or by calling Toyota's customer service line, at 1-800-331-4331. Scroll down for the complete recall notice from Toyota.

Toyota and Mercedes begin the Super Bowl ad teases with dads and hares

Advertising Age says pregame buzz is where Super Bowl advertisers really build momentum for their Big Game commercials, so let the teasing continue. We've seen the 30-second spot for the Lexus NX, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota are next out of the tunnel with campaigns that focus on a fable and fathers, respectively. The Mercedes tease gets former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice lining up a talking-heads debate with eight-year-old Andrew Hunter about whether Hunter's hare could beat a tortoise in a race, but it's a disaster before it even begins. In what will be a continuing storyline, a social media component lets people side with #TeamTortoise or #TeamHare, with "a Big Race viewing party" going to a lucky winner. Mercedes also promises there'll be a hero at the end, which we imagine will something in the Three-Pointed-Star family as opposed to the Testudinae or Leporidae families. Toyota's all about the biological family, rolling out a series of tweets and Vine videos showing off ex-NFL'ers and their kids to hype the "One Bold Choice Leads to Another" campaign for the Camry. The profiled paterfamiliae will be examples of those "who have contributed to their families' lives in bold ways." A 60-second spot during the pre-game will feature Paralympic athlete Amy Purdy, then those stand-up dads will get their own 60 seconds during the second quarter. The social media tag for this one is #OneBoldChoice. You can watch Mercedes' opening salvo above, and check out a Toyota tweet with ex-quarterback Kurt Warner below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Automotive News - sub. req., Mercedes-Benz, Toyota via YouTube (M-B), Twitter (Toyota) Celebrities Marketing/Advertising Mercedes-Benz Toyota Super Bowl Commercials Videos