> August 12, 2010
>
> Toyota Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. For more news,
> visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
>
>
> 1. Veteran Industry Watchers Support Toyota’s Electronics Defense
>
> Two journalists with long experience covering the auto industry assert that
> Toyota’s electronics should not be blamed for alleged incidents of
> unintended acceleration.
>
> Their commentaries followed disclosure by NHTSA investigators Tuesday that
> they have found no evidence so far linking Toyota’s electronic throttle
> control systems to unintended acceleration. The U.S. Department of
> Transportation informed Congress Wednesday that the causes they have found
> are floor-mat entrapment and sticking accelerator pedals – both of which
> are already the subject of Toyota recalls.
>
> In an Automotive News article titled “No Reason to Blame Toyota’s
> Electronics,” Publisher Peter Brown wrote that the number of incidents
> investigated by the regulators is small, “just a few dozen cases. But it’s
> more evidence that there is no evidence of an electronic problem.”
>
> Similarly, in a commentary on CNBC, Phil LeBeau said: “The (regulators’)
> findings should go a long way toward ending the belief I still hear from
> people that Toyota cars and trucks have a problem with their electronics.”
>
> In addition, David Champion, senior director of the Auto Test Division for
> Consumer Reports, said during an interview on National Public Radio that
> the NHTSA finding of no brake application in 35 cases “renders the data
> pretty convincing.”
>
> To read Peter Brown’s commentary in Automotive News, please click on:
> http://www.autonews.com/article/20100811/BLOG02/100819974
>
> To read Phil LeBeau’s commentary on CNBC.com, please click on:
> http://www.cnbc.com/id/38661022
>
> To listen to the audio of the NPR interview, please click on:
> http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=fals...
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic30616.jpg)
>
> 2. Preliminary NHTSA Findings Could Make Lawsuits Against Toyota
> Challenging
>
> According to an article today in the Detroit Free Press, attorneys familiar
> with lawsuits filed against Toyota believe that NHTSA’s preliminary finding
> of no evidence of electronic defects could prolong the lawsuits and force
> plaintiffs to meet tougher legal standards.
>
> While the NHTSA investigation is ongoing, preliminary findings indicate no
> new safety issues related to unintended acceleration beyond sticking gas
> pedals and misplaced floor mats. NHTSA reviewed event data recorders on 58
> vehicles in reported cases of unintended acceleration and found that in 35
> of those cases, the brakes were never applied. In about half of the 35
> cases the accelerator pedal was depressed, suggesting that the driver was
> stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake. In 14 cases investigators
> found partial braking. One case showed floor-mat entrapment of the
> accelerator pedal. Other cases were inconclusive.
>
> To read more, please click on:
> http://www.freep.com/article/20100812/BUSINESS01/8120468/1210/BUSINESS/Toyota...
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic30610.jpg)
>
> 3. Toyota #2 ‘Most-Considered’ Auto Brand in Kelley Blue Book Survey
>
> Despite the negative publicity about its recalls, Toyota is ranked number
> two in Kelley Blue Book’s report of the “most-considered” auto brands. Ford
> is number one, while Hyundai moved up to knock Nissan off the list of the
> top five brands.
>
> The top five are:
> Ford, 29%
> Toyota, 22%
> Chevrolet, 21%
> Honda, 20%
> Hyundai, 13%
>
> The quarterly report is compiled from answers given by 3,000 new-car
> shoppers to kbb.com from April 6-June 17. The shoppers rated fuel
> efficiency, driving comfort, safety, driving performance and durability and
> reliability.
>
> To read more, please click on:
> http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/08/hyundai-squashes...
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic07202.jpg)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Toyota Fast Facts is an update on Toyota and industry news. For more news,
> visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.
>
>
> 1. Veteran Industry Watchers Support Toyota’s Electronics Defense
>
> Two journalists with long experience covering the auto industry assert that
> Toyota’s electronics should not be blamed for alleged incidents of
> unintended acceleration.
>
> Their commentaries followed disclosure by NHTSA investigators Tuesday that
> they have found no evidence so far linking Toyota’s electronic throttle
> control systems to unintended acceleration. The U.S. Department of
> Transportation informed Congress Wednesday that the causes they have found
> are floor-mat entrapment and sticking accelerator pedals – both of which
> are already the subject of Toyota recalls.
>
> In an Automotive News article titled “No Reason to Blame Toyota’s
> Electronics,” Publisher Peter Brown wrote that the number of incidents
> investigated by the regulators is small, “just a few dozen cases. But it’s
> more evidence that there is no evidence of an electronic problem.”
>
> Similarly, in a commentary on CNBC, Phil LeBeau said: “The (regulators’)
> findings should go a long way toward ending the belief I still hear from
> people that Toyota cars and trucks have a problem with their electronics.”
>
> In addition, David Champion, senior director of the Auto Test Division for
> Consumer Reports, said during an interview on National Public Radio that
> the NHTSA finding of no brake application in 35 cases “renders the data
> pretty convincing.”
>
> To read Peter Brown’s commentary in Automotive News, please click on:
> http://www.autonews.com/article/20100811/BLOG02/100819974
>
> To read Phil LeBeau’s commentary on CNBC.com, please click on:
> http://www.cnbc.com/id/38661022
>
> To listen to the audio of the NPR interview, please click on:
> http://www.npr.org/templates/player/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=fals...
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic30616.jpg)
>
> 2. Preliminary NHTSA Findings Could Make Lawsuits Against Toyota
> Challenging
>
> According to an article today in the Detroit Free Press, attorneys familiar
> with lawsuits filed against Toyota believe that NHTSA’s preliminary finding
> of no evidence of electronic defects could prolong the lawsuits and force
> plaintiffs to meet tougher legal standards.
>
> While the NHTSA investigation is ongoing, preliminary findings indicate no
> new safety issues related to unintended acceleration beyond sticking gas
> pedals and misplaced floor mats. NHTSA reviewed event data recorders on 58
> vehicles in reported cases of unintended acceleration and found that in 35
> of those cases, the brakes were never applied. In about half of the 35
> cases the accelerator pedal was depressed, suggesting that the driver was
> stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake. In 14 cases investigators
> found partial braking. One case showed floor-mat entrapment of the
> accelerator pedal. Other cases were inconclusive.
>
> To read more, please click on:
> http://www.freep.com/article/20100812/BUSINESS01/8120468/1210/BUSINESS/Toyota...
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic30610.jpg)
>
> 3. Toyota #2 ‘Most-Considered’ Auto Brand in Kelley Blue Book Survey
>
> Despite the negative publicity about its recalls, Toyota is ranked number
> two in Kelley Blue Book’s report of the “most-considered” auto brands. Ford
> is number one, while Hyundai moved up to knock Nissan off the list of the
> top five brands.
>
> The top five are:
> Ford, 29%
> Toyota, 22%
> Chevrolet, 21%
> Honda, 20%
> Hyundai, 13%
>
> The quarterly report is compiled from answers given by 3,000 new-car
> shoppers to kbb.com from April 6-June 17. The shoppers rated fuel
> efficiency, driving comfort, safety, driving performance and durability and
> reliability.
>
> To read more, please click on:
> http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/08/hyundai-squashes...
>
> (Embedded image moved to file: pic07202.jpg)
>
>
>
>
>
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