Woodhaven Toyota Blog

(TORONTO) — Toyota Canada and Home Hardware Stores Limited announced a new multi-year business relationship today, making Toyota the official vehicle of Home Hardware and Home Hardware the official home improvement retailer of Toyota. As a result of this new relationship, the companies both known for their quality, value and customer service levels will work together on marketing promotions in stores, at trade shows and in promotional materials.

Canadians will start to see cross-marketing promotions in Home Hardware stores, trade shows and in promotional materials at both the retail and commercial levels. Toyota vehicles will be on display at Home Hardware’s Tough as Nails contractor shows to introduce Home’s commercial customers to Toyota’s line-up of ready-for-work trucks.

“As we enter 2009, and our two companies prepare to celebrate 45 years of business in Canada, we’re pleased to work with Home Hardware to showcase Toyota vehicles to hard-working Canadians,” noted Stephen Beatty, Managing Director of Toyota Canada Inc. “In neighbourhoods from coast to coast, Toyota dealers and Home Hardware dealers are very active in their communities and we intend to build on these thousands of local relationships to bring our brands to more Canadians.”

“Canadians look to Home Hardware and Toyota for quality, value and superior customer service,” said Jack Baillie, Director of Marketing, Home Hardware Stores Limited. “It’s only natural for these two brands with common values to collaborate and we look forward to working together to explore new opportunities through our networks and dedication to corporate social responsibility, such as our shared commitment to Special Olympics Canada.”

About Home Hardware Home Hardware Stores Limited is Canada’s largest independent hardware, lumber and building materials and furniture retailer with more than 1,000 stores across Canada, under the Home Hardware, Home Building Centre, Home Hardware Building Centre and Home Furniture banners. Dealers have access to 100,000 quality brand name and private label products and the company has annual retail sales of $4.8 billion. The cooperative was founded on January 1, 1964 by 122 independent hardware dealers.

About Toyota Canada Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) is the exclusive Canadian distributor of Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs and trucks, and Toyota industrial equipment. TCI’s head office is in Scarborough, with regional offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Halifax and parts distribution centres in Toronto and Vancouver. TCI supports more than 300 Toyota, Lexus and Toyota Industrial Equipment dealers in Canada with services that include training, marketing and environmental and customer satisfaction initiatives. Toyota’s Canadian operations include automotive assembly plants in Cambridge, ON (Toyota Corolla, Toyota Matrix, Lexus RX 350) and Woodstock, ON (Toyota RAV4), which together employ more than 5,700 Canadians.

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As a leader in environmental initiatives, Toyota Canada Inc.’s (TCI) efforts extend beyond eco-friendly automotive technology, with six hybrid models currently available in the Canadian Toyota and Lexus line up, to eco-action programs. Striving to make things better – at home, at work and in our communities, TCI’s continued involvement includes the following activities:

* Community program donations: TCI has announced a donation to support the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA). TCI will present the TRCA with a cheque for $7,500 towards the protection, enhancement and regeneration of natural watershed resources across the greater Toronto area.

* Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program: A nationwide eco-action initiative, the Toyota Evergreen Learning Grounds program brings teachers, students, and community members together to transform school grounds across Canada into green and creative outdoor learning environments. On June 17, with funding from the program, students from Brampton’s Conestoga Public School helped green the Old Britannia Schoolhouse in Mississauga by planting sweet corn in the new vegetable garden.

* Hybrid technology education: With gas prices on the rise, consumers are curious about how hybrids work and the environmental benefits of owning such a vehicle. Taking Toyota and Lexus hybrids out of the showroom and out into communities helps people better understand the vehicle. Most recently, Canadians got interactive with TCI hybrids at eco-trade shows like Montreal’s Salon national de l’environnement (June 13-15) and the “Earth Tones” event at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre (June 5-15). Look for the Toyota Hybrid Tour, a travelling tour featuring interactive displays and ride and drives that went across Canada last summer, to make stops at Ontario shopping centres this summer.

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And the winner is… none other than the 2009 Toyota Corolla, built at Toyota’s assembly plant in Cambridge, Ontario. Outperforming 12 other compact vehicles, the Corolla has taken top honours in the 2008 CanadianDriver 50-litre Challenge^TM, travelling 1,017 kilometres on a single tank of fuel.

The vehicles – all compact cars with fuel tanks of at least 50 litres and starting price tags under $20,000 – were driven on the exact same highway routes in a convoy to see how far they would go before running out of gas. The distance travelled by the Corolla translated to an amazing fuel consumption rating of 4.9 litres per 100 km.

“Toyota has been improving the Corolla’s fuel economy for more than 40 years, and we’re pleased to offer Canadian drivers such a fuel efficient choice given the rising price of gas,” noted Stephen Beatty, Managing Director at Toyota Canada Inc.

“Even though the fully redesigned 2009 Corolla is more powerful and larger, Toyota incorporated a number of features and design elements to maintain its fuel-friendly reputation. The CanadianDriver 50-litre Challenge^TM win shows that Canadians can enjoy the benefits of Toyota’s innovative engineering whether they’re driving across town or across the country.”

The 2009 Corolla owes its fuel-sipping ways to multiple technologies, including:

* Electric Power Steering, which is lighter and uses less fuel than traditional, hydraulic steering assist systems;
* A Positive Temperature Coefficient heater system, which helps accelerate cabin – and engine – warm up time on cold days;
* A redesigned floor panel which reduces vibration, noise and vehicle weight;
* A rigid body structure that reduces road noise and vibration, enhanced with ultra-high-strength steel that’s 40 per cent lighter than the steel traditionally used in vehicle design.

More information on the CanadianDriver 50-litre Challenge^TM can be found online.

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Members of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) descended on Niagara-On-The-Lake for a week of kicking the tires and putting the latest offerings from the auto industry through their paces – and when the dust cleared, the 2009 Toyota Corolla was declared a category winner, Best New Small Car Under $18,000, in the 2009 Canadian Car of the Year awards.

AJAC crowned the Toyota Corolla CE with automatic transmission and “B Package” trim level as the Best New Small Car Under $18,000. With a suggested retail price of $17,740, this Canadian-built Corolla seats five in comfort and style, and boasts incredible fuel efficiency, with a fuel consumption rating of just 6.6L/100km (combined city/highway). Toyota Corolla is built at the Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada facilities in Cambridge, Ontario, and Canadian input was an integral part of the design of the 2009 model.

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cleaner. efficient. powerful. *

Environmentally friendly. Fuel efficient to the last drop. And designed with power and performance in mind. Toyota’s latest generation hybrid vehicles offer the most desirable features of both a gasoline engine and an electric motor system. They don’t just raise the bar… they carry it to heights few thought possible. The ever-expanding Toyota hybrid fleet: allowing us all to breathe more easily.

How Hybrids Work

Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive is a full hybrid because it can operate in three distinct modes–gas only, electric motor only, or a combination of the two. It doesn’t have to be plugged in–ever.

Benefits of Hybrid Technology

Fewer emissions and pollutants*… More kilometres on less fuel… power and performance second to none… and a ride with the quiet smoothness of a luxury vehicle.

The Future of Hybrids

Hybrids are here to stay with the technology being integrated into more and more of the Toyota line up. At present, that includes the Prius, Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid.

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SPECIAL OLYMPICS

Special Olympics Canada offers a year-round program of sports training and competition, thus contributing to the physical, social and psychological development of those with an intellectual disability. This multi-sport organization is structured into regional, provincial, national and international groups, with regular competition at all levels.

Special Olympics Canada provides sport training and competitive opportunities to over 31,000 athletes supported by over 13,000 certified volunteer coaches.

In 1991, Toyota Canada made a long term commitment to the Special Olympics. Currently, Toyota financial support is applied to an insurance policy for athletes and coaches, and covers the cost of medals and awards at all provincial level competitions in Canada. Toyota Canada has also served as the official supplier of vehicles for several Special Olympics World Games.

But our commitment is not simply a donation. The way Toyota participates in the Special Olympics is essentially one team helping another team… a relationship that allows Toyota Canada to share the financial commitment equally with our dealers, while permitting the dealers to participate locally. Plus, it encourages individual members of the Toyota organization to become involved.

Special Olympics Canada offers sport training and competitive opportunities in 14 official sports. Corresponding with Canada’s diverse population and geography, Special Olympics Canada’s official sports range from soccer and rhythmic gymnastics in the summer, to snowshoeing and curling in the winter.

Special Olympics Canada National Games are held every two years, alternating between Summer and Winter Games with World Games being held in the following year to the National Games. The next National Games will be the 2008 National Winter Games which will be hosted in Quebec City, Quebec in February of 2008.

Special Olympics Canada will send a team of 83 athletes, 22 coaches and 12 mission staff to the 2007 World Summer Games in Shanghai, China, October 2-11, 2007. Special Olympics Canada has a structured National Team Program to ensure that the Team Canada athletes are prepared for competition on the world stage.

Toyota Canada is proud to be a national sponsor of the Special Olympics and looks forward to active participation in the 2008 National Winter Games in Quebec City.

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Stepping Forward to Meet Tomorrow’s Challenges

Toyota has a long history of concern for the environment, and actively seeks ways to meet the growing transportation needs of society in ways that are less harmful to our Earth. To do that, we consistently examine our products, business strategies, and daily operations carefully, and set goals for environmental improvement. It’s all part of Toyota’s Earth Charter and 2010 Global Vision, a commitment to the environment and to the communities where we do business. And it’s also part of Toyota’s efforts at continuous improvement-from reducing the use of resources and energy in our manufacturing processes to making sure we give something back to the people of the Earth.

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Make things better. A philosophy of continuous improvement. Small steps added together to make a big difference. At work. At home. In the community. Even in the world at large. Make things better is what we all strive for. At Toyota, it’s how we approach everything we do. Seeking ways to make things better. In our products. In our services. In the lives of our customers. This section of toyota.ca is designed for the people of Canada and the people of Toyota who work continuously to make things better. A better vehicle. A better society. A better world.