POWER UP - INTRODUCING THE 2021 RAV4 PRIME - Toyota Today
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THE MAGAZINE FOR JAN FEB 2020
TOYOTA D E A L E R S H I P S
POWER UP
INTRODUCING THE 2021 RAV4 PRIME
NEW HEIGHTS The 2021 RAV4 Prime (left), shown in Supersonic Red. EDITORIAL STAFF Senior Manager SCOTT DEYAGER Manager LISA YAMADA Editor KRISTEN ORSBORN Writers DAN MILLER AND DAN NIED Design AKINSPARKER toyotatoday.com Published six times per year for Toyota dealers and dealership personnel by the Corporate Communications Division of Toyota Motor North America. Copyright ©2020 by Toyota Motor North America. Contents may be reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. Address magazine inquiries to: Kristen Orsborn tel: 469.344.8427 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
CONTENTS
COVER STORY 13
P03 DEALER DOINGS P09 AHEAD OF ITS TIME
Serra Toyota of Birmingham pays tribute to a local scholar, Dealers love to sell them, and customers love to drive them.
Bergstrom Toyota puts the pedal to the metal to find a cure Crossovers might be a hot ticket now, but the segment had
for breast cancer and Earl Stewart Toyota partners with a humble origins — with a funky little upstart called RAV4.
local shelter to give animals a forever home.
P1 1 T H E F U T U R E I S H E R E AG A I N
P0 6 THE REST OF THE STORY The stunning second-generation Mirai leaves no doubt:
Think you’re fully up to speed on all things Toyota? Check Toyota is still very much all-in on hydrogen fuel cell
out the Toyota Untold podcast to discover what you might technology.
be missing.
P1 3 PRIME TIME IN LA
P07 SOUPED -UP SEDANS Toyota’s red-hot RAV4 gets its first-ever plug-in hybrid
The Camry and Avalon are getting the TRD treatment, leaving iteration. And its powertrain generates 302 horsepower. We
perceptions of Toyota’s mainstream sedans in the dust. repeat: 302 horsepower!
3 9
6 7 11
The Key
new car. Over that time, General Manager John McDonald
SERR A TOYOTA OF BIRMINGHAM
estimates the dealership has invested more than $300,000
in the program since Heichelbech’s death.
“It does require a lot of heavy lifting,” he says. “We start
to Success
planning in January and the final event doesn’t happen until
July. Every year, we try to outdo the year before.”
In 2019, a record 130 students from six high schools
qualified for a shot at the car. They, along with family and
friends, were invited to gather at the dealership for a party.
Alabama Dealership Continues Each of the students who participated was given a $100 Visa
gift card and other goodies, along with a chance to be 1 of 15
to Honor Student, Seven Years randomly selected finalists for the grand prize.
Those lucky few were each given a key to a 2020 Corolla
After Her Death SE, only one of which would open and start the car. The
lucky winner? Clay-Chalkville High School senior Dallas
Clay. Serra Toyota also picked up the tab for the car’s taxes,
— DAN MILLER first-year tag reimbursement and maintenance over its first
25,000 miles.
“We just want to show these students that good things
It only took an instant for a tornado to can come to those who work hard,” McDonald says.
claim the life of high school student Christina Heichelbech.
But seven years later, Serra Toyota of Birmingham continues
to remember her.
Heichelbech had earned a full-tuition scholarship
to study at Auburn University when, in 2012, her dream
of becoming a veterinarian was cut short. In honor of her OH WHAT A FEELING!
The audience erupts when Clay-Chalkville High School senior
memory, Serra Toyota has worked with area high schools to
Dallas Clay turns the key that opens the door to his new
identify seniors — based on a combination of attendance 2020 Corolla SE, the grand prize in Serra Toyota’s student
and grade point average — deserving of a chance to win a incentive program.
DOINGS
DEALER
|
03
BERGSTROM TOYOTA
DRIVEN TO FIND A CURE
Toyota District Sales Manager Mary Farnham participated
in Bergstrom Toyota’s Drive for a Cure event last October.
The dealer has donated nearly $500,000 for breast cancer
research over the past 11 years.
“It’s in the hope
of helping others
who are going
through something
so difficult in
their lives.”
A Drive through it,” says Tim Bergstrom, president and COO of
for the
Bergstrom Automotive. “So, my father and I felt an obligation
to do this for our community.”
Tim and his father hosted the group’s 11th annual “Drive
for a Cure” charity event in October. Guests came out in
Cure
freezing temperatures to sign 100 cars in memory of loved
ones or in dedication to those battling the disease. That
included Toyota District Sales Manager Mary Farnham. She
drove several hours to honor Diane Romeo, who passed away
from breast cancer in 2018.
“It was so emotional. I wrote her name on one of the cars,”
Wisconsin Dealer Raises Money Farnham says. “It’s in the hope of helping others who are
in Fight Against Breast Cancer
going through something so difficult in their lives.”
Per tradition, Farmer and other guests then drove
assigned vehicles along an 11-mile guided course. For each
DEALER
— ALEXA CONOMOS mile clocked, Bergstrom Automotive donated $1 to breast
cancer research at the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer
Center. The group raised nearly $49,000 this year. Since the
Fighting breast cancer one mile at a time. event’s inception, Bergstrom Automotive has donated over
DOINGS
It’s more than a motto to the father-son team behind $500,000 to breast cancer research.
Bergstrom Toyota of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. They’ve been on “To see a person drive a car in the memory of someone
the frontlines of that battle for 11 years now. they lost is incredible,” says Bergstrom. “Giving back is part
|
“With one in eight women affected by breast cancer, of our culture and our team is incredibly proud of it. We find
04
chances are everyone’s had someone close to them go common ground making a difference together.”
EARL STEWART TOYOTA
An FINDING A FUR-EVER HOME
The team at Earl Stewart Toyota leverages social media to
raise awareness for adoptable animals in their area. Each
Adorable
week, the dealership sponsors a dog in need of a forever home.
family sponsors a dog in need of a forever home each week.
Using a live Facebook feed, patriarch and dealer principal Earl
Mascot
Stewart and his wife Nancy introduce a new rescue and pay
the $200 to $300 adoption fee. Within minutes of repeating
his familiar tag line — “As always at Earl Stewart, there are
never any dealership fleas” — calls to adopt come into BDRR
within that very hour.
Dealership Connects Customers
“They are simply phenomenal,” says Robin Friedman,
who oversees philanthropy for the cage-free organization.
with Adoptable Dogs, Finding “With their support we have about a 100 percent success rate
finding homes for these dogs.”
Forever Homes on Facebook During the five-year partnership, Earl Stewart Toyota has
helped to save the lives of 3,000 dogs. The Stewart family
has also donated four vehicles to help pick up stray dogs
— ALEXA CONOMOS
in the Bahamas, where thousands have been displaced by
Hurricane Dorian.
“I love it,” says Co-General Manager Josh Stewart. “Every
Stop by Earl Stewart Toyota on any given week we get to meet a new dog. Every week I fall in love. It’s
Thursday and you’ll see a 100-pound Terrier mix roaming the so important to take care of these little guys.”
DOINGS
halls greeting customers. He now fondly regards Simon as the dealership mascot
That’s Simon. And he’s become an inspiration for the and a symbol of the family-friendly culture that makes Earl
family owned-and-operated dealership. Stewart an inviting place to work and to do business.
“I saw Simon and I just knew,” says employee Stephanie “It’s so rewarding,” says Stewart. “It allows me to drive
DEALER
Aguirre. “He really was the one who picked me. We’ve been to work with a smile on my face knowing that we are really
together three years now.” making a difference.”
Aguirre adopted Simon during the North Palm Beach, To learn more about Big Dog Ranch Rescue and Earl
Florida dealership’s weekly call to action. Under their Stewart Toyota’s pet adoption partnership, visit bdrr.org and
|
05
partnership with Big Dog Ranch Rescue (BDRR), the Stewart @EarlStewartToyota on Facebook.
THE
REST Subscribe to Toyota Untold and get an
insider’s take on all of the “cool stuff
happening at the company”
by Dan Miller
OF THE
IF YOU SELL OR SERVICE TOYOTA VEHICLES FOR A LIVING,
odds are you’re a bit of a Toyota news junkie. But how can you
profess to know everything about the company and its products
if you’ve never listened to Toyota Untold?
As its name implies, this twice-a-month podcast — launched
by Toyota Motor North America a year ago — tells interesting
stories you otherwise may have missed.
“It’s a behind-the-scenes take that’s meant to be fun,
conversational and authentic,” says Eric Booth, senior manager
of external communications. “There was all of this cool stuff
happening at the company and it turned out a podcast was the
perfect way to share it.”
STORY
In one episode, the podcast hosts conducted an in-depth
interview with Gill Pratt, who heads up the Toyota Research
Institute and its pioneering work on artificial intelligence
and autonomous vehicles. More recently, Toyota Untold asked
Toyota-sponsored Olympic and Paralympic athletes: “How do
you start your impossible?”
In short, it’s a steady stream of lively conversations with
fascinating people about what makes Toyota so special.
To join in, iPhone users can go to iTunes, search for Toyota
Untold and subscribe. It’s also available on Spotify.
Oh, and while you’re at it, be sure to invite your customers
to tune in as well.
“This is a great way to help keep Toyota top of mind,” says
Booth. “In the end, it’s all about getting our stories and our
message out there.”
0 6
SOUPED-UP
SEDANS
Five reasons why the all-new
Camry TRD and Avalon TRD
will knock your socks off
by Dan Miller
W H E N TOYOTA R AC I N G D E V E LO P M E N T ( T R D ) got MAKE IT STOP
its start 40 years ago who could have envisioned it would The flip side to spirited acceleration is controlled deceleration.
eventually join forces with those responsible for the The new TRD sedans have the goods on this front as well,
company’s mainstream production sedans? thanks to larger front brakes with dual rather than single-piston
And yet here we are, greeting the arrival of the first-ever calipers. And both also get Active Cornering Assist that reduces
Camry TRD and Avalon TRD — and leaving Toyota’s image as understeer by applying brake force to the inner drive wheel
a maker of plain vanilla automobiles very much in the dust. when you step on the gas heading into a turn.
In recent years, the TRD’s performance chops have been
applied to several of Toyota’s trucks and SUVs, primarily to FORM AND FUNCTION
boost their off-road credentials. That includes, most recently, Calty, Toyota’s U.S. design studio, fashioned aerodynamic
the RAV4 TRD Off-Road introduced at the Chicago Auto Show body kits for both sedans, taking advantage of their edgier
in February (see list right). lines and TRD-lowered chassis. And the front splitter, side aero
But Camry TRD and Avalon TRD are completely different skirts, trunk lid spoiler and rear diffuser don’t just look the
animals, delivering the track-inspired traits sedan owners have part, they also help improve high-speed vehicle stability.
been clamoring for. After all, since the all-new 2018 Camry
burst on the scene, sales of its sporty SE and XSE version have TRICKED-OUT TREATS
spiked. Response to the first-ever XSE grade of the all-new 2019 Visual clues of these two sedans’ performance capabilities
Avalon followed suit. abound. Note the matte-black alloy wheels, gloss-black front
You Want It, You Got It grille, polished stainless steel TRD exhaust tips, red pinstriping,
Toyota simply took that trend to its next logical level, most red-painted brake calipers, red TRD badging, Black Sport
notably in these five ways: SofTex-trimmed front seats with fabric inserts, red-stitched
TRD-embroidered headrests, shift knob with an embossed TRD
HEAR IT ROAR logo and unique TRD floor and trunk mats.
Both sedans are powered by Toyota’s renowned 301-
horsepower DOHC 3.5-liter V6 engine mated with an 8-speed PART OF THE FAMILY
automatic transmission. But this powerplant breathes easier Both sedans are now on sale. They join the growing array
thanks to its TRD-tuned cat-back dual exhaust. You’ll know it of TRD models, including:
by its throatier sound at idle and when accelerating. • Tacoma TRD Pro
• Tacoma TRD Off-Road
LOW AND LEAN • Tacoma TRD Sport
Thicker underbody braces increase torsional rigidity, and • Tundra TRD Pro
both vehicles ride lower due to unique coil springs that • Tundra TRD Off-Road
contribute to a lower center of gravity. That translates into • Sequoia TRD Pro
improved body control, handling agility and steering precision. • 4Runner TRD Pro
• 4Runner TRD Off-Road
• RAV4 TRD Off-Road
0 7
0 8
AHEAD OF ITS TIME Car-based crossovers are all the rage these days. But it was the original RAV4, introduced more than 20 years ago, that set this wheel into motion by Dan Miller I N 1 9 9 4 , T H E Y E A R TOYOTA U N V E I L E D the original trend that, today, has SUVs, crossover vehicles and trucks RAV4, Mia Phillips was in the Boston Region just getting her owning nearly 70 percent of the market. Back in 1994, sedans feet wet in the automotive industry. ruled the roost. “I remember when it came out and thinking, ‘That sure is a funny-looking thing,’” says Phillips, who served as national RIDES LIKE A CAR, manager of crossover vehicles for Toyota Marketing before WORKS LIKE A TRUCK recently being named senior manager of Lexus Advertising. “I From the get-go, the RAV4 was meant to appeal to a very was on the team charged with wholesaling that RAV4 to our specific customer. dealers. If someone had told me back then that it would one It offered decent power, increased passenger and cargo day be our best-selling vehicle, I would have laughed at them. room, higher ground clearance and available all-wheel drive. Hysterically.” It emphasized function over comfort, delivering more utility No one, especially not Toyota’s competitors, is laughing now. than adventurous buyers could get out of a car. In fact, the current RAV4 has surpassed the Camry as the And its core trait clearly set it apart from the status quo: a brand’s most popular vehicle with sales expected to top car-like unibody platform. Before the RAV4 burst on the scene, 430,000 by year’s end. That will make it not only the best- virtually every SUV rode on a body-on-frame platform. selling Toyota, but the best-selling non-pickup truck across all In other words, the RAV4 wasn’t really a truck. It was a car makes and models — trailing only the Ford F-150 and Dodge that offered certain truck-like attributes. Ram pickup overall. “From day one, the RAV4 rode and handled like a car,” says In many ways, that first RAV4 — a bit of an ugly duckling Phillips. “But it could do things a car couldn’t do. It was better known for its spare tire mounted on the back — initiated a in the snow and rain. You could take it camping. You weren’t 0 9
UGLY DUCKLING?
Maybe. But the original RAV4 (above) definitely went on to
become a swan. The current iteration is now Toyota’s best-
selling vehicle.
VARIATION ON A THEME
Toyota followed the RAV4 with the family-friendly Highlander
in 2000.
going rock climbing in it, but you could do light off-roading. It
really was ahead of its time.”
PRESSING THEIR ADVANTAGE
Of course, Toyota — in keeping with the spirit of continuous
improvement — didn’t stop there. Over the years, it’s continued
to riff on the crossover theme.
Take, for example, the original Highlander — a larger
crossover meant for growing families — introduced at the New
York International Auto Show in 2000. And when both the
THE LATEST INNOVATION
Highlander and RAV4 moved up in size and features with each
Toyota continues to push the envelope when it comes to
succeeding iteration, Toyota added the compact C-HR in 2017 crossovers. Case in point: The 2021 RAV4 Prime, the first-ever
to appeal to young, urban, style-conscious customers looking plug-in hybrid version of this incredibly popular vehicle. It
to get into their first new vehicle. goes on sale this summer.
At the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, Toyota
introduced the RAV4 Prime, the first plug-in hybrid in the
model’s 25-year history. The beat goes on … and on.
“It’s about seeing opportunities and taking advantage of
them,” says Phillips. “When it comes to crossovers, Toyota
really was ahead of its time.”
0 1 0FUTURE
T H E
I S H E R E A G A I N
Does Toyota still believe in a hydrogen fuel cell-powered future?
The unveiling of the second-generation Mirai answers that question.
by Dan MillerN O C O M PROMISES
The new Mirai will not only be environmentally friendly,
emitting only pure water vapor, but will also be fun to drive —
thanks in part to its rear-drive configuration.
Mirai means “future”
in Japanese, and it fits.
O V E R T H E PA ST F O U R Y E A R S , it’s often felt as if the
Mirai has remained just outside our grasp — like the future.
On the one hand, Toyota has made more than 10,000 of them.
On the other, while public-access hydrogen refueling stations
only exist in meaningful numbers in California and Hawaii,
more states have promised to follow in the future.
Will hydrogen fuel cell vehicles one day be as commonplace
as hybrids (which, at last count, topped more than 14.3 million And as the hydrogen refueling infrastructure takes hold, its
Toyota and Lexus vehicles worldwide)? That remains to be impact on the marketplace — and the pace of carbon dioxide
seen. But Toyota remains confident that the technology will emissions — could well be quite different, too. California
take hold. currently has 39 stations, with 13 more to open by the end of
And to prove the point, the company recently unveiled an the year and 11 more in 2020. Toyota expects the Northeast
all-new second-generation Mirai that will go on sale in late U.S. network to launch by the end of 2020. If so, the new Mirai
2020 as a 2021 model. will be poised to take full advantage.
THE SAME, BUT DIFFERENT AN ALTERNATIVE FUEL PORTFOLIO
Like its predecessor, the new Mirai is a “plugless” electric The unveiling took place during an intensive four-day media
vehicle. That means it generates its own electricity onboard event hosted by Toyota in Greensboro, North Carolina, at the
from hydrogen, with water as the only tailpipe emission. But Proximity Hotel — the first hotel to receive LEED Platinum
just about everything else about the successor is new. certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Journalists
Highlights include: learned about Toyota’s broader electrification strategy and
• An elegant new Mirai Concept based on a premium had the opportunity to test drive the original Mirai as well as
RWD platform current hybrid versions of the Corolla, Avalon, Camry, RAV4,
• A clean, modern profile that sits lower, longer Prius and Prius Prime.
and wider Toyota used the occasion to also announce it will extend
• A significantly improved FCEV powertrain that increases its Hybrid Battery Warranty from 8 years/100,000 miles to 10
the driving range by 30 percent years from date of first use/150,000 miles, whichever comes
• A more powerful and engaging driving experience first, for all of its new model year 2020 hybrid, plug-in and fuel
• An interior infused with a hint of futurism without cell electric vehicles. That makes it the longest such warranty
appearing off-putting in the industry that covers first and all subsequent owners.
• A five-seat vs. four-seat cabin through the improved It also used the event to tease the reveal of what will become
use of space the most powerful RAV4 yet — the 2021 RAV4 plug-in hybrid,
In other words, the new Mirai looks different and which you can read about on page 13.
feels different.
0 1 2PRIME TIME
Toyota electrifies the Los Angeles Auto Show with
the 302-horsepower RAV4 Prime, the hugely popular
compact crossover’s first-ever plug-in hybrid
by Dan Miller
THE 2020 RAV4 MOVES FAST … OFF DEALERSHIP LOTS.
Toyota sold more than 430,000 of the fifth generation of its
IN LA
compact crossover in 2019, once again making it the best-
selling non-pickup truck on the market.
But at the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, Toyota
made it clear it intends to push this particular pedal all the
way to the metal. Jack Hollis, group vice president and general
manager of the Toyota Division, unveiled the all-new 2021
RAV4 Prime — the first-ever plug-in hybrid version of the
vehicle that in many ways set the stage for the current SUV/
crossover craze when it was first introduced in 1994.
“It has 302 horsepower,” said Hollis. “Let me say that again:302 horsepower! That is 83 more than the current RAV4
Hybrid, that was the quickest RAV in the line-up. We project
the RAV4 Prime will accelerate from 0-60 miles per hour in just
5.8 seconds. Consider the bar raised.”
The RAV4 Prime isn’t just remarkably quick, it’s also
amazingly efficient. It can be driven nearly 40 miles solely
on its battery in a single charge, enough to cover many
drivers’ daily commutes. Factor in its gas engine and the RAV4
Prime is expected to achieve a manufacturer-estimated 90
combined MPGe.
For comparison’s sake, the 2006-2012 RAV4 — when fitted
with the optional 269-horsepower V6 gasoline engine — was
half a second slower. And its combined fuel economy was only
21 mpg.
Simply put, the RAV4 Prime is the proverbial “have your
cake and eat it, too” vehicle.
PLUGGED IN
HOW DID THEY DO IT? The RAV4 Prime can be driven nearly 40 miles solely on its
battery in a single charge.
Toyota engineers started with the same Toyota Hybrid System
II that powers the 2020 RAV4 Hybrid with a 2.5-liter four-
cylinder Atkinson-cycle gas engine that can generate 176
horsepower. But the RAV4 Prime’s version has been tuned
to achieve maximum torque of 169 lb.-ft. at 2,800 rpm
compared with the RAV4 Hybrid’s 163 lb.-ft. at 3,600-5,200 rpm.
Combine that with more powerful electric motor-generators
and the RAV4 Prime has what it takes to deliver a real kick in
the backside.
Perhaps that’s why, for the first time ever, this RAV4
comes with optional paddle shifters normally found only on
performance cars.
Fittingly, the RAV4 Prime will be offered in the sporty SE
and XSE grades, combining robust performance with premium
comfort and style. Among its many features are All-Wheel
Drive with Intelligence as well as the Toyota Safety Sense
2.0 grouping of active-safety technologies and capabilities.
Heading the list of available features is Color Head-Up Display,
a first for any RAV4.
The initial shipment of production units will arrive at Toyota
dealerships next summer.
REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS
The RAV4 Prime is part of Toyota’s larger plan to increase
its hybrid sales mix from 9 percent in 2018 to more than
25 percent in 2025. That’s in direct response to the Toyota
Environmental Challenge 2050 announced four years ago,
which includes a commitment to reduce the company’s global
average C02 emissions from vehicles by 90 percent from its
2010 levels.
As such, it should come as no surprise that the RAV4 Prime
was joined at the Los Angeles Auto Show by the 2021 Mirai,
the second generation of Toyota’s hydrogen fuel cell sedan that
made its world debut at the Tokyo Motor Show last October.
“We believe it is our job to provide customers with options
STYLISH COMFORT
to reduce their environmental impact,” said Hollis. “In the end,
The RAV4 Prime’s refined interior is the perfect complement to
customers will decide what they want to drive. Together we its spirited driving feel.
will create a cleaner world.”
0 1 4NATURAL SELECTION
MADE ITS SELECTIONS.
Only the strongest can make it out here.
The 4Runner, Tundra, Tacoma and Sequoia were born to
take on any challenge Mother Nature might throw at them.
Now comes the hard part: It’s your turn to make a selection.
Prototypes shown with options. ©2019 Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.You can also read
