Toyota Brand Sales Up

1. Bob Carter Says Toyota Sales Up 40-50 Percent So Far This Month Midway through March, Toyota Division sales are 40 percent to 50 percent higher than the same time last year, Toyota Division GVP and GM Bob Carter said during an interview Tuesday on CNBC. “Consumers tell us over and over again that they understand that Toyota has been overly scrutinized and they are very confident in the safety of our products, as we are,” he said.

To watch Carter’s interview with CNBC’s Phil LeBeau, click on: http://www.cnbc.com/id/15840232?video=1442449728&play=1.

2. Edmunds.com Test Shows Car Can Stop, Even with Open Throttle Edmunds.com Vehicle Testing Director Dan Edmunds has heard the story dozens of times: “The car just took off! It was possessed.” So Edmunds.com took a 2010 Camry to a test track to determine the braking distance in various stuck-throttle situations. The car stopped every time.

To read Tuesday’s story and watch a video of the test, click on: http://www.insideline.com/toyota/camry/2010/2010-toyota-camry-stuck-throttle-brake-test.html.

Edmunds.com also posted a news release Monday about a similar test on a Prius. To read the release, which includes a link to the Prius video, click on: http://www.edmunds.com/help/about/press/162166/article.html.

3. Toyota Executives Testify before Canadian House of Commons Toyota executives testified Tuesday before the Canadian House of Commons in Ottawa about the company’s recent recalls. TMA President Yoshi Inaba reiterated that there is “no evidence of faults” in the electronic throttle control system of Toyota vehicles that would lead to problems with unintended acceleration.

At the same time, he stressed that Toyota is focused on identifying root causes of any issues and developing appropriate remedies. Inaba added, "The message Mr. [Akio] Toyoda wanted to deliver was not only to American drivers. His apology goes everywhere."

Toyota Canada Managing Director Stephen Beatty described the company’s product servicing approach, based on a system called Early Detection Early Resolution (EDER). “This process looks for issues – not just related to safety, but covering all aspects of the Toyota ownership experience,” he said.

Toyota Canada has a data-sharing agreement with all Canadian Toyota and Lexus dealerships. “This single, tightly integrated, industry-leading system means that we can review and query all unusual service patterns,” Beatty said. “An additional system automatically alerts us to any unusual warranty activity. Together, these systems allow us to quickly detect potential problems in our vehicles.”