Toyota awards new 2015 Camry to Community Leader at NCLR’s Annual Conference in Kansas City

 July 16, 2015

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (July 16, 2015) – Ruby Azurdia-Lee was already making a difference in her community, working with Latino families and connecting them to the resources they need, including health, employment and education services. Now, with the help of Toyota, she is taking it one step further.
 
Lee entered the Toyota Let’s Go Places contest at this year’s National Council of La Raza (NCLR) annual conference, answering the question: “What would you do with a new Toyota Camry?” Her response: help more people.
 
Lee is the President of CLUES (Spanish for: Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio), which is a linguistically and culturally relevant resource and service nonprofit organization based in Minnesota. CLUES was founded in 1981 by Latinos for Latinos and its programs and services connect families to resources, skills, institutions, and systems and create an environment for people to be engaged and empowered.
 
“Miracles do happen. When I entered this contest, I couldn’t imagine that I would win,” said Lee. “My work with CLUES means so much to me and I can’t wait to get back to it and take it to the next level. Thank you, Toyota, for this incredible opportunity.”
 
The NCLR conference, which ran from July 11 to July 14 in Kansas City, is the nation’s largest gathering of influential individuals, organizations, institutions and companies working with the Hispanic community.  Toyota was once again the title sponsor for this year’s event, celebrating more than ten years as the No. 1 auto choice for U.S. Latinos.
 
“Our partnership with NCLR and the Latino community is long and incredibly valuable to us,” said Steven Curtis, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Toyota Motor Sales. “It’s an honor to be a part of NCLR’s annual conference again this year and to have the chance to give back, especially to someone like Ruby, who is committed to making a difference in her community.”
 
“Toyota has been a wonderful and committed partner of NCLR for more than 15 years,” says Enrique A. Chaurand, Deputy Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Events at NCLR. “Hearing Ruby’s story was truly inspirational. Thank you, Toyota, for making this another great year at NCLR.”
 
In addition to giving away a new Camry at the conference, Toyota also showcased and offered “ride and drives” in its most popular vehicles, hosted car seat demonstrations, gave away car seats and more.

 
NCLR—the largest national Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States—works to improve opportunities for Hispanic Americans. For more information on NCLR, please visit www.nclr.org or follow along on Facebook and Twitter.

About Toyota’s commitment to the Latino Community
 
Since 1991, Toyota has contributed more than $700 million to American nonprofit groups; a significant portion of it going to organizations that support minority populations, including Hispanics.
 
Toyota supports and partners with premier Hispanic organizations that promote the advancement of the Latino community in the United States through education and civic engagement including:
 

• National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
• National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO)
• League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF)
• Latinos in Tech Innovation & Social Media (LATISM)

 
Toyota is also proud to offer programs that keep families safe on the road, like the groundbreaking injury prevention initiative “Buckle Up for Life” or “Abróchate a la Vida” where parents, grandparents and even kids learn about the importance of seat belts and the safest ways to use car seats.

Cars.com Names Toyota Camry as Most American-Made, Again!

Sienna Takes Number Two Spot in Annual American-Made Index

ERLANGER, Ky., June 29, 2015 – The results are in, and Cars.com has named two Toyota models as most American-Made.
 

The Toyota Camry and the Toyota Sienna have claimed the top two spots, respectively, in the annual Cars.com American-Made Index. This marks Toyota’s return to the American-Made pinnacle for the first time in three years and the fifth time overall that Camry has been ranked number one on the index.
 
According to Cars.com, the “American-Made Index rates vehicles built and bought in the United States. Factors include the percentage of parts considered “domestic” under federal regulations, whether the car is assembled in the U.S. and U.S. sales. Models with domestic-parts content ratings below 75 percent are disqualified, as well as models built exclusively outside the U.S. or models soon to be discontinued without a U.S.-built successor.”
 

“These results are a testament to Toyota’s continued investment and growth in the United States,” said Toyota North America CEO Jim Lentz, who also serves as President of Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing, North America, Inc. “We are strengthening our commitments to American manufacturing so we can better satisfy the needs of our customers for decades to come.”
 
The Toyota Camry, America’s best-selling car for 13 consecutive years, comes out of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc. (TMMK) in Georgetown, Ky. alongside the Camry Hybrid, Avalon and Avalon Hybrid. TMMK is Toyota’s largest manufacturing facility in North America, which also builds engines and employs more than 7,500. The plant built its 10-millionth vehicle in 2014 and will begin adding the Lexus ES to its lines this fall, the first Lexus to be manufactured in the United States. The addition of Lexus is the hallmark of a $360 million investment in the plant that also adds 750 new jobs.
 
The Sienna is assembled in Princeton, Ind. at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana, Inc. (TMMI) by a team of 5,000. The plant also produces the Sequoia and Highlander/Highlander Hybrid. Toyota is investing $100 million in TMMI to boost Highlander production, adding 30,000 units per year and 300 jobs by summer 2016.
 
Much of the design and engineering of both Camry and Sienna took place in the United States at Calty Design Research, Inc. and Toyota Technical Center (TTC), respectively. Calty is headquartered in Newport Beach, Calif., with a production design studio in Ann Arbor, Mich., and TTC is based in York Township, Mich. Camry and Sienna both have American chief engineers.
 
Toyota has 10 manufacturing facilities in the United States.

2016 Scion tC Upgrades Make for Alluring Touring

TORRANCE, Calif., (July 16, 2015) – Scion’s top seller, the tC sports coupe, adds new sound, smarts and swishes as it enters the 2016 model year. A new standard audio system, a host of upgraded interior features including a Smart Key with push-button start, and the addition of a standard rear windshield wiper add to the fun and functionality of the tC.

The 2016 tC retains its thrill-to-value proposition with a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $19,385 for the six-speed manual transmission and $20,535 for the six-speed automatic with paddle shifters and Dynamic Rev Management®. This price excludes a delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee of $795.

The new standard audio system features a large 7-inch Pioneer® touchscreen Display Audio system with AM/FM/HD radio™, voice recognition, Bluetooth® hands-free and streaming audio, and the Aha™ app which provides access to 100,000 Internet radio options.

Also new to the interior of the tC are new silver interior door handles, a new center console tray cover and a leather-wrapped shift knob.

The 2016 tC will be available in dealerships starting in August.