TRUCKIN’TACOMA STYLE

january/february2015

THE MAGAZINE FOR TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS

The exhilaratingly awesome, all-new Tacoma

Published six times per year for Toyota dealers and dealership personnel by the Corporate Communications Division of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Copyright ©2015 by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Contents may be reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

Address magazine correspondence and inquiries to: Lisa Yamada, Toyota Today, 19001 S. Western Ave., HQ40, Torrance, CA 90501 TEL: 310.468.8550 eMAIL: toyota_today@toyota.com

For customer inquiries please contact the Toyota Customer Experience Center: TEL: 800.331.4331

For product and company information: WEB: toyota.com TEL: 800.GO.TOYOTA

E D I T O R I A L S T A F F

Manager Lora Jones

Editor Lisa Yamada

Writers Dan Miller

Dan Nied

Design AkinsParker Creative

2 Dealer Doings What do a walleye fish, pink bus and hip replacement surgery have in common? Toyota dealers doing good in their communities.

5 Shake It UpThe 33-year-old general manager is shaking up the status quote at Wellesley Toyota.

9 Tacoma Time The all-new 2016 Tacoma is ready for another 10-year run as America’s favorite mid-size truck.

11 Hydrogen is Here Hydrogen is no longer a hypothesis. And Toyota’s more than 5,600 free patents sure helps.

13 Hydrogen Highway How did we get here? A long, steady path of R&D that began more than 20 years ago.

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7 App-ealing Sales Process Beaverton Toyota’s new approach saves time and it boosts customer satisfaction.

Laurie Liriano, part-owner with her husband Carlos of

Lost Pines Toyota, knows just how fortunate she is. One

example: She has health insurance that, in turn, allows her

to get regular mammograms. So when, a year ago, that

breast cancer screening test revealed an abnormality, she

received the care she needed to address it.

But Liriano realizes that’s not true for everyone in

Bastrop, Texas, the Austin suburb where the couple does

business. So, moved by her brush with mortality, Laurie

decided she had to try to do something to fill the gap.

“That’s when I discovered that Seton Medical Center

in Austin had the Big Pink Bus,” she says. “It’s a mobile unit

that provides free mammograms to women in Central Texas

with limited or no health insurance. It used to come to

Bastrop. But due to budget cuts, it hadn’t been here in two

years. We had to do something. It was a no-brainer.”

In less than six weeks, Laurie and Carlos mobilized

their staff and organized a “Pinked Out Casino Night”

at the dealership. Some 250 local residents showed up,

purchasing $40 tickets and/or making cash donations to the

cause. In return, the partygoers got to trade in their casino

chips for prizes at the end of the night.

DEALER DOINGS:

Brush with Breast Cancer Motivates Owner to Help Other Women Receive Screenings by Dan Miller

And they could indulge in all-you-can-eat helpings of

gumbo. Since the Lirianos moved from their native New

Orleans to open this new store nearly three years ago,

General Sales Manager Jim Wilkinson has made a pot of

gumbo that they serve a couple hundred patrons at noon

on the first Friday of every month. For the big event, local

restaurants offered competing concoctions in a friendly

Gumbo Challenge.

It worked. After covering expenses, Lost Pines Toyota

delivered a check to the medical center to fund Big Pink Bus

visits to Bastrop each of the next four quarters. On average,

the mobile unit can screen 21 women per day, providing full

follow-up care and treatment if needed.

“We were absolutely floored by the response,” says

Laurie. “We’ve always been very active in the community,

participating in more than 30 events over the past year

alone. But I’ve never been part of something that just took

off like that. For the women who will benefit, this could be

life changing. We’re already making plans to do this again

next year. We just have to keep bringing that bus back.”

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The Power of Pink Lost Pines Toyota staffers gather in front of the Big Pink Bus, the Seton Medical Center’s mobile unit that provides free mammograms. Thanks to themoney raised bythe dealership, the bus will make four visits in 2015.

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The request may have been one of a kind, but it was

certainly intriguing to Lee Wulbert.

When he heard Northwestern Memorial Hospital,

one of the largest medical facilities in Chicago, asked

Phillip and Nancy Resnick for a car to help post-surgical

hip-replacement patients learn how to enter and exit

vehicles properly, Wulbert let his mind wander.

And when the owners of the Resnick Automotive

Group asked him to figure out how to make the car a

reality, he put his ideas into motion.

As the vice president of operations, Wulbert had a

workable vision, even with a few mitigating factors.

“We went downtown to the hospital so we could see

what their needs were,” Wulbert says. “They had a small

room with a fake shower, a bed and all the things you

have to learn to relearn when you get your hip replaced.

The first thing I said was, ‘How did you think you were

going to have a car in here? It’s on the 14th floor.’ ”

But those obstacles didn’t stop the vision.

Wulbert turned to the team at Schaumburg Toyota—

part of the Resnick Automotive Group—and got to work.

After measuring the hospital room, doors, hallways

and elevator, Wulbert and Schaumburg Toyota body

technician Ty Travers picked out a 1995 Corolla wagon

with 269,000 miles on it, and started carving and gutting.

They didn’t need the back seat. So they took that

out. They couldn’t have tires, so they took those off and

created a stand for the car.

“Ty could see my vision,” Wulbert says. “We

basically pulled the engine out; took the interior out. We

left the firewall on and cut everything else away. All the

edges had to be rounded and protected. We had to clean

up the interior. The interior had to be vinyl so the hospital

could disinfect it after each patient. So we sent it to an

upholstery shop.”

Add a removable roof to fit the contraption in the

door and a few coats of paint, and the end result—

delivered to the hospital in October after about three

months of work—is more of a Corolla pod than a car.

Still, it’s exactly what the hospital needed.

DEALER DOINGS:

A Hip Transformation by Dan Nied

Ease On In It may only be half a car (or less) but the repurposed 1995 Corolla wagon turned out to be exactly what hip-replacement patients at Northwestern Memorial Hospital need for therapy.

Magic Man Schaumburg Toyota body technician Ty Travers (above) played a key role in the repurposing, as did Collision Director Tom Hoch.

It would be easy for Kolar Toyota to just write a check.

The Duluth, Minn., dealership would still be the title

sponsor of the Kolar Toyota ALS Walleye Tournament, and

they’d only have to part with a few dollars.

But just cutting a check doesn’t cut it for Kolar Toyota’s

leadership team. Nope, co-owners Dave Hammer, Pete

Kolar and Bernie Kolar, along with general manager David

Solon, made sure their dealership was more than just a

sponsor of the fishing tournament that benefits their local

chapter of the ALS Association (Minnesota/North Dakota/

South Dakota).

Yes, Kolar is the title sponsor—and the dealership

makes an additional $20,000 donation each year—but

Solon and Business Development Center Manager Pete

Hammer are also members of the tournament’s committee,

which meets every month.

“David and Pete are very active and they go out and

meet sponsors,” says Sandy Judge, the nonprofit’s special

events coordinator. They’re hands-on the week of the

event. During the event they make sure our anglers are

having a good time.”

Kolar Toyota’s dozen or so volunteers also help

coordinate and raise funds for the silent and live auctions

that follow the tournament, and arrange print and broadcast

ads for the event, which began in 1995 and has begun

attracting local celebrities. Last year’s tournament and

auction featured former Minnesota Twins great Kent Hrbek

and former NHL players Jim Johnson and Darby Hendrickson.

In 2007, Solon recognized the severity of ALS and

saw how dedicated the ALS Association’s volunteers

were to the fishing tournament. He decided to make

the organization the main beneficiary of his dealership’s

charitable dollar.

“All the people involved in the tournament 100 percent

bought in,” Solon says. “There are a million good causes,

but that’s why we picked this to be our major one.”

One appeal is the typical late-May date that allows

the tournament to operate under “catch and release” rules.

Later in the year, the state of Minnesota requires anglers to

keep any fish they catch to prevent overcrowding.

“It’s a tournament for a great cause, not a tournament

to put something on your dinner plate,” Solon says.

And one unintended benefit of all the hard work is Kolar

Toyota’s reputation in the community.

“We don’t do it for the business, but we’ve gotten a lot

from this,” Solon says. “The ALS Association has supported

us like we’ve supported them. I think that’s because of how

dedicated the volunteers are. It just happens to be a good

result of what we’ve done. But ultimately, our goal is to

help find a cure for this horrible disease.”

They’re doing just that. Last year’s tournament and

auction raised more than $170,000 for the nonprofit.

DEALER DOINGS:

Kolar Toyota’s Quest for a Cure by Dan Nied

Angling for ALS Kolar Toyota’s sponsorship of a Minnesota fishing tournament makes a big difference in fighting a deadly disease.

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015 Nai Nan Ko, Jr. is well positioned to shake up

the status quo. Wellesley Toyota’s general manager

is just 33, and as he says, his ideas are “quite

revolutionary.” Yet he’s spent more than 12 years

in the car business. So his ideas are also grounded

in reality.

As such, no one should be surprised that

Ko has come up with a new way to sell cars.

More precisely, he’s introduced “The Now Way,”

trademarking the phrase and introducing the

concept to customers via a video on the suburban

Boston dealership’s website.

“I’ve worked with several brands over the

years,” says Ko. “What puzzles me is that no matter

the brand, most dealerships use the same traditional

sales process: salesperson, closing manager,

desk manager and F&I manager. It’s a circus

of individuals that leaves the customer feeling

frustrated and exhausted. And it fundamentally

encourages the salespeople to rush through the

delivery because they’re paid on commission.

Meanwhile, our vehicles become more complex

with features like Bluetooth and Entune. I knew

there had to be a better way. When we completed

our Image USA II facility in 2012, I saw it as an

opportunity to try something new.”

How Does It Work? To implement “The Now Way,” Ko reorga-

nized his staff into three groups, distinguished by

the colors red, white, and black:

Red Team—Product specialists who earn an

hourly wage. They’re the customers’ first point of

contact, guiding them to the vehicle that best suits

their needs and budget. The specialists participate

in ongoing product training to ensure they’re more

knowledgeable than their customers about Toyota’s

vehicle lineup. They wear red shirts, so customers

can easily identify them.

White Team—Customers who have settled

on vehicles are introduced to sales managers who

wear white shirts and are empowered to work the

deals from start to finish. As such, customers aren’t

subjected to the typical back-and-forth between

salespeople and sales managers that can waste time

and raise anxiety. And, at the end of the process,

customers aren’t handed off to an F&I manager.

The same person at the start is there at the finish,

leveraging the trust and rapport that has taken hold

along the way.

Black Team—These are the behind-the-scenes

managers who monitor inventory and track

manufacturer incentives, among other duties.

Coloring Outside the LinesWellesley Toyota General Manager Nai Nan Ko, Jr. (foreground) is backed up by: Sales Product Specialist Cote Shaw (red team), Sales All-in-one Manager Adel Nasser (white team), and Sales Operations Manager Brandon Luciano (black team).

Photo by Paul S. Howell

by Dan Miller

Wellesley Toyota’s ‘revolutionary’ general manager reinvents the sales process

They guide the White Team to move in a particular

direction, in sync with vehicle supply and demand

on the lot and in the marketplace.

“In football terms, the red team is like the offensive

line, the white is like the quarterback and the black is

like the offensive coordinator,” says Ko. “Everyone has

a clear role to play in support of one another.”

Happy Employees = Happy Customers In practice, that clarity has helped minimize

internal discord. Ko notes that online market

pressures often force dealerships to settle for a lower

price to complete the transaction. This squeezes

salesperson commissions and spawns manufacturer

spiffs and volume-only focused pay plans, further

eroding front end gross. It’s stressful and unhealthy

for the organization, especially for those on the

front lines.

That matters, says Ko, because happier

employees lead to happier customers. Though

“The Now Way” just completed its first full year

of operation, Wellesley Toyota is ranked No. 2 in

customer satisfaction in the Boston Region, trailing

only a dealership that sells just a fifth as many units.

Meanwhile, Ko says staff morale is up and

turnover is down. The product specialists tend to

be younger, more highly motivated and new to

auto sales—injecting fresh ideas and energy into

the business. And the all-in-one sales managers,

customer-first industry veterans who can be more

difficult to find, appreciate the increased autonomy

and have more pride in their work.

“We’re attracting people who love this business

but don’t like that they have to depend on so many

other people for their success,” says Ko. “The best

managers want to take full responsibility for their

performance.”

“We know this works for our customers, our

employees and the dealership,” he concludes.

“Now, we just need to grow it.”

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“After that, he sent his daughter, to us. And she

came by herself.”

In the Toyota spirit of continuous

improvement, Humberston is quick to point out

that the software isn’t entirely where he wants it to

be just yet. But it’s clearly moving in the right, and

very exciting, direction.

“Customers will spend days researching vehicles

online. But once they decide what to buy, they

want to get on with it,” says Humberston. “Some

people are wowed by our approach. But really, this

is the way it should be. Customers expect speed

and transparency. We needed to change.”

by Dan Miller

Beaverton Toyota’s iPad app speeds sales process, increases transparency

‘The Way It Should Be’After more than seven years of planning, property

acquisition, development and construction,

Beaverton Toyota is now fully up and running in its

much larger, environmentally friendly dealership.

But while the LEED-certified and Image USA II

facility is garnering rave reviews from customers

and employees alike, the real eye-opener might not

be where they’re doing business together but how.

That’s because while some members of the

team in this Portland, Ore., suburb were focused

on expanding the store’s footprint from 30,000 to

more than 100,000 square feet and from 4.5 to 14

acres, others were developing a proprietary iPad

app that aims to make the car-buying experience

completely transparent.

“You won’t find this at any other dealership,”

says George Lyons, a salesperson who began

beta testing the software in June. Now, all of his

colleagues are wielding iPads, too. “I think it’s a

game changer for our business.”

Dealer Principal Russ Humberston laid the

foundation when he shifted his store from a

traditional MSRP-and-negotiation to a strictly

one-price approach. The iPad app takes full

advantage of that change, allowing Beaverton

Toyota’s salespeople and customers to work

through the sales process quickly and efficiently,

virtually eliminating the often aggravating back-

and-forth routine.

How Does it Work? Once the customer decides on a specific

vehicle, the salesperson pulls that unit up on the

iPad, then guides the customer through various

screens that present the full range of equipment

and accessory options available on that vehicle.

The customer makes selections simply by touching

the screen, seeing clearly how each choice affects

the bottom-line price of the deal as well as the

monthly payments.

Similarly, the customer can explore financing

plans available through the dealership, plug in

their own interest rate (if they’ve already arranged

financing through another source) and factor in

any available incentive programs—again with the

help of the salesperson. There’s no need to hand off

the customer to a separate F&I person.

After all of the details have been sorted out to

their liking, the customer can even sign off on the

deal on the iPad using their finger. Due to lender

and state requirements, the process isn’t entirely

paperless—at least not yet. But Humberston says

the typical transaction can now be completed in

less than two hours.

“On average, we’re saving 1.5 hours per

deal,” he says. “Our model for this was the Apple

store. We designed the process around what the

customer wants. And, to be honest, this is what our

salespeople want, too.”

Streamlined Process Lyons would heartily second that motion.

“With the iPad, the process is completely

streamlined. I used to have to get up and go to

the sales desk a dozen times. Now? Maybe twice.

And I can take the customer from start to finish.

Customers absolutely love it.

“The best response I ever got was from a father

who said to me, ‘I didn’t even need to be here,’”

Lyons continues. “He had accompanied his son to

the dealership to protect him and make sure we

didn’t push him around.”

Digital Dance Salesperson George Lyons consults with a customer with the aid of Beaverton Toyota’s iPad app. The proprietary software makes car buying nearly paperless and, on average, reduces the transaction time by 1.5 hours.

Let the Sun ShineDealer Principal Russ Humberston oversaw the transformation of Beaverton Toyota into a LEED-certified facility, including the installation of energy- and money-saving solar panels. He’s also the driving force behind the dealership’s move toward a more transparent, negotiation-free sales process.

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Truck of the(next) Decade

The last time Tacoma went through a major

redesign, Americans were flocking to theaters to

see Batman Begins, Tom Cruise was jumping up

and down on Oprah’s sofa, and President George

W. Bush had just been sworn in for his second term.

OK, in the grand scheme of things, 10 years

isn’t that long. But since its debut in 2005, the

current Tacoma has established itself as the

dominant mid-size truck in America. Need a

number to support that claim? No problem.

Tacoma’s market share has grown to more than

60 percent.

So, the all-new 2016 Tacoma—revealed at

the North American International Auto Show in

Detroit in January and launching this fall—has

a lot to live up to.

But don’t worry. With it being primarily

designed in Michigan and most assembly in Texas,

Tacoma is an undeniable staple for America’s

workers and adventurers alike.

“This truck is badass!” General Manager Toyota

Division Bill Fay told a crowd of journalists during

the reveal. “Every time I see it I just want to get

behind the wheel and set off on a new adventure.”

What’s so “badass” about the all-new Tacoma?

Pretty much everything.

The 2016 Tacoma will be available with either a

4-cylinder engine or an all-new Atkinson cycle V-6

engine featuring both direct and port fuel injection.

Simply put, it’s the most powerful and fuel-efficient

Tacoma ever.

It looks great, too. The front end’s aggressive

hex shape upper grille and stamped logos with

a taller, more muscular hood to make Tacoma

intimidating but inviting.

Its brand new tailgate is sure to excite en-

thusiasts with an integrated spoiler for enhanced

aerodynamics.

And for the first time, Tacoma is available with

a lockable, tri-fold hard tonneau cover designed to

help protect whatever you can fit in the bed.

The 2016 Tacoma comes in five distinct

grades, each with its own look:

• The entry level SR, the perfect addition to

any worker’s tools

• The iconic SR5

• TRD Sport

• TRD Off-Road

• The Limited, fully loaded with leather, a

power moon roof, Qi wireless phone charging

and SMART key with push button start

And, every 2016 Tacoma comes standard with

a GoPro mount located near the rear-view mirror.

So Tacoma drivers who love to get dirty can relive

the action again and again.

And why wouldn’t they? The 2016 Tacoma is

built on life’s adventures.

by Dan Nied

Ten years since its last update America’s best-sellingmid-size truck is getting a reboot to make sure

the next decade is as decadent as the last

Toyota will license its hydrogen-related patents at no charge through 2020

by Dan Miller

Royalty Free

Toyota’s press conference at the 2015 Consumer

Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 5 was brief.

Yet there was still enough time to offer more than

5,600 reasons why hydrogen is likely to become

the primary automotive fuel of the future.

That’s because each of those “reasons” is a

hydrogen fuel cell patent owned by Toyota. For

the first time, the company will make those patents

available to the automotive industry free of charge.

“At Toyota, we believe that when good ideas are

shared, great things can happen,” said Bob Carter,

senior vice president of Automotive Operations at

Toyota Motor Sales. “The first generation hydrogen

fuel cell vehicles will be critical, requiring

concerted effort and unconventional collaboration

among automakers, government regulators,

academia and energy providers. By eliminating

traditional corporate boundaries, we can speed the

development of new technologies and move into

the future of mobility more quickly, effectively

and economically.”

Toyota has a long history of sharing its

intellectual property. For example, to help promote

the adoption hybrid vehicle technology, the

company made its related patents available to third

parties in exchange for a licensing fee.

With this move, however, Toyota is going

one step further and sharing its hydrogen-related

patents royalty free. It’s yet another tangible sign

that the company is fully committed to serving as a

catalyst to bring about a hydrogen-based society.

‘Going to Change the World’ “I believe this technology is going to change

our world,” said Satoshi Ogiso, a managing officer

of Toyota Motor Corporation, during that global

debut. “And sooner rather than later.”

Sharing the inner workings of these break-

through technologies royalty-free increases the

likelihood that Ogiso’s claim will come true. The

list includes approximately 1,970 patents related to

fuel cell stacks, 290 associated with high-pressure

hydrogen tanks, 3,350 related to fuel cell system

software control and 70 patents related to hydrogen

production and supply.

Toyota’s offer is intended primarily for

manufacturers that produce and sell fuel cell

vehicles (including buses and industrial equipment

such as forklifts), fuel cell parts suppliers and

energy companies looking to establish and operate

fueling stations. However, Toyota will also review—

on a case by case basis—requests from companies

looking to adapt the technology beyond the

transportation sector.

Patents related to fuel cell vehicles will be avail-

able for royalty-free licenses until the end of 2020,

when it’s anticipated that several first-generation

fuel cell vehicles will be introduced. Patents for hy-

drogen production and supply will remain open for

an unlimited time. As part of the licensing agree-

ments, Toyota will encourage but not require other

companies to share their fuel cell-related patents

with Toyota for similar royalty-free use.

On the HouseWhen equipped with an optional power take-off device, the Toyota Mirai’s fuel stack could generate enough electricity to power an average house in an emergency. This is just one of the more than 5,600 patents that Toyota is sharing through 2020.

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In 1999, at the Prius Environmental Preview in

Washington, D.C., Takehisa Yaegashi, then Toyota

Motor Corporation’s senior general manager, spoke

about the viability of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

“We have already completed test runs for two

experimental hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” Yaegashi

said. “One type, introduced in 1996, stores

hydrogen obtained from outside sources. The other

test unit, released in 1997, makes its own hydrogen

from reformed methanol.”

In 2011, after millions of fuel cell fleet test

miles, then-Toyota Motor Sales (TMS) Group Vice

President Chris Hostetter celebrated the opening of

a hydrogen fueling station near TMS headquarters

in Torrance, Calif.

“Fuel cell technology is viable and ready for

the mass market,” Hostetter said. “Toyota plans

to bring a fuel cell vehicle to market in 2015.

Whether powering a vehicle or lighting our campus,

hydrogen will play a key role in Toyota’s future.”

Well, the future is almost here. Just as Hostetter

said, Toyota plans to launch the Mirai—its first

mass produced hydrogen fuel cell vehicle—later this

year in California, Japan and Europe.

It took 21 years, a few handfuls of prototypes

and countless tests to get to the future. How did

Toyota get here? Let’s take a look:

by Dan Nied

THE PATH TOA FUEL CELL

FUTUREThe reality of hydrogen-powered cars is the result of more than

20 years of research, development and testing at Toyota

1992 – Toyota begins developing fuel cell vehicles.

1996 – Toyota’s Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) is equipped with a fuel cell stack and a hydrogen-absorbing alloy tank.

2001 – Toyota and Hino Motors develop the FCHV-Bus, a city bus that runs on compressed hydrogen.

2001 – Over an eight-month span, Toyota develops the FCHV-3, FCHV-4 and FCHV-5, adding a high-pressure hydrogen hybrid tank to the FCHV-4 and an onboard Clean Hydrocarbon Fuel reformer in the FCHV-5. Testing begins on public roads in the U.S. and Japan.

2002 – Toyota leases Highlander-based FCHVs to the Japanese government, the University of California, Irvine and the University of California, Davis for research and development.

2003 – Toyota premieres the FINE-S hydrogen fuel cell hybrid-electric concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

2003 – Toyota partners with the state government and several private industries in he hopes of establishing a network of hydrogen refueling stations in California. Convenient refueling is viewed as the major obstacle to bringing fuel cell vehicles to market.

2005 – The FCHV-Bus shuttles passengers along a 2-mile route during the 185-day Expo 2005 Aichi in Japan.

2007 – TMS engineers drive a Highlander-based Toyota FCHV 2,300 miles from Fairbanks, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia. During the seven-day trek, the vehicle averaged more than 300 miles per tank of compressed hydrogen gas.

2009 – TMS engineers participate in a 331 5-mile round trip between Torrance, Calif., and San Diego. The Highlander-based FCHV achieves an estimate of 431 miles per tank of compressed hydrogen gas with a fuel economy of 68.3 miles/kg, the approximate equivalent of miles per gallon.

2012 – Toyota drives a fuel cell “test mule” thousands of miles in some of the most punishing climates in the United States. The test mule’s success on rigorous roadways confirms its durability and quality.

2013 – At the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota displays the FCV Concept sedan, the practical concept of the fuel cell vehicle the company plansto launch in 2015.

JAN 2014 – The FCV Concept makes its North American debut at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Toyota announces it will put the FCV into production for a 2015 launch date. At first, the FCV will be sold in only Japan, Europe and California.

MAY 2014 – Toyota makes a $7.3 million loan to FirstElement Fuels to build 19 hydrogen fueling stations in California. Toyota also announces a collaboration with industrial gas supplier Air Liquide, targeted to create 12 new stations in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island in 2016.

NOV 2014 – Toyota introduces its first production-ready FCV and names it Mirai, the Japanese word for “future.”

NOV 2014 – Toyota announces the Mirai will cost $57,500 in the United States before government incentives. Toyota also announces a lease option for $499per month. All customers receive a generous package that includes three years of free fueling and a 24-hour concierge.

JAN 2015 – Toyota announces that it will license more than 5,600 hydrogen-related patents at no charge through 2020.

FUEL CELL TIMELINE

Maybe it’s rude to point at strangers, but if you’re driving the Scion tC Release Series 9.0, you may have to get used to people singling you out as you pass by. Because this car is going to get a lot of attention. Scion’s latest special edition is a show car designed to be driven around town. Its vibrant Magma Orange and black two-tone exterior screams Halloween, but it’s just as cool on the Fourth of July. You can thank Jeremy Lookofsky of Cartel Customs for that. He worked with Scion to create the design. The black interior is accented with some sick orange stitching and paint. And the car features Scion’s first blacked-out badge. The tC Release Series 9.0, on sale now, comes in six-speed manual and automatic transmissions. And only 2,000 will ever be made.

Not for the Meek

OTHER

FEATURES

INCLUDE:

• Black-finish alloy wheels with matching center cap• Gloss black finish side mirrors and door handles• Release Series badge mirror cover• Toyota Racing Development lowering springs• High-profile rear spoiler• Cartel logo floor and cargo mats

by Dan Nied

Scion tC Release Series 9.0