Nissan has now become a major player in the camera market as its products now come with them fitted.

• Increased technology fitted to its cars means Nissan now sells over 3,000 cameras per day
• Over 1.4 million cameras fitted to new Qashqai alone since the model’s launch in 2014
• Part of pioneering safety packages which form the building blocks to autonomous driving

Nissan is famous for being a top-selling car brand, but few people would realise it is fast becoming one of Europe’s biggest camera companies too. Having fitted over two million camera units to its range in less than two years it is now snapping at the heels of some of the world’s biggest camera makers.

Increased safety technology means that Nissan’s best-selling models now have up to five cameras per car. It means that the leading Crossover brand sells an astonishing 3,400* cameras per day, or more than two per minute.

Nissan’s multi-award winning Crossover range, which includes Qashqai, Juke and X-Trail, has accounted for over 1.9 million camera sales since the Qashqai went on sale in 2014. The top-selling versions of each have four wide-angle cameras attached to the front, back, left and right, which are the foundations of the pioneering Around View Monitor system.

The AVM system can display a 360-degree, bird’s-eye view which helps the driver to visually confirm the vehicle’s position relative to white lines and other vehicles, allowing the driver to manoeuvre into parking spots with more ease.

The Qashqai and X-Trail also have an additional camera mounted in the windscreen which is used for a variety of high-tech functions, such as traffic sign recognition and automatically dipping main beam headlamps.

Combined, these features illustrate how Nissan is making the very latest innovations accessible to mass market buyers. Camera-based technology is also a key stepping stone to a fully autonomous car.

The camera systems fitted to Qashqai and X-Trail provide the capability for self-parking, along with a package of functions which make up Safety Shield, including Blind Spot Warning (BSW) and Moving Object Detection (MOD), all of which will be critical in the future development of autonomous drive.

One of the smartest features within Safety Shield is the intelligent self-cleaning rear view camera system, which detects when it is dirty and automatically cleans itself.

The computer processes more than 15 mega pixels each second; mounted just above the rear number plate, the camera uses its in-built water and compressed air apparatus to clear the lens of debris ensuring the 7-inch NissanConnect screen receives a clear picture, providing optimum passenger and pedestrian safety.

“Unlike rival systems that rely on radar systems to monitor movement around the car, all three elements of Nissan’s Safety Shield work using data from the rear-view AVM camera providing drivers with exceptional visibility and protection,” said Safety Shield senior engineer Christopher Parker.

“The safety of our passengers is the number one priority and Nissan’s proactive approach to safety technology is there to assist drivers at all times.”

And with Crossover sales going from strength to strength, Nissan is predicting demand for its camera units will reach over 10 million in the next five years.

Engineers are already working on the next generation of camera technology, such as that seen in the Nissan Gripz concept Crossover. Two cameras built into the headlamps allow live streaming of the car’s adventures - on and off road – to the internet.

Toyota Verso Upgraded for 2015 with new Trend Plus Model.

• Toyota’s compact MPV gains new Trend Plus grade for 2015, with twin rear-seat DVD system and leather upholstery as standard
• Toyota Touch 2 with Go touchscreen-controlled multimedia and navigation system now provided as standard on Trend, Trend Plus and Excel models
• All Verso engines comply with Euro 6 emissions standards
• Revised range on sale now, priced from £17,770 for the five-seat Active model. Seven-seat models priced from £18,300.

With its multitude of seating and storage configurations, the Toyota Verso has never wanted for variety, but the choice available to customers has been made even greater with the compact MPV gaining a new Trend Plus grade.

Its credentials as ideal family transport are strengthened by the addition of a rear seat DVD entertainment system as standard. The package includes neatly integrated seatback mounts with dual monitors for independent DVD playback, or, with appropriate accessories, computer gaming. Two wireless headsets are also provided. Customers can choose to add optional, powered iPad holders.

Recognising the popularity of sophisticated in-car entertainment, Toyota is also offering the system as an option on Icon, Trend and Excel models in a variety of configurations, including permutations of master and slave DVD screens and single or double iPad docks.

Trend Plus models further benefit from leather upholstery for the front and second row seats and from the Toyota Touch 2 with Go touchscreen-controlled multimedia and connectivity system with integrated satellite navigation. The functions include DAB radio; advanced Bluetooth for hands-free phone use and music streaming; access to online functions for enhanced journey planning and information; and a reversing camera.

Other features, shared with the established Trend grade, include new-design 17-inch alloy wheels, front parking sensors, dual-zone air conditioning, rear privacy glass, power windows, seven airbags, front fog lamps and fold-down seatback tables for second row passengers.

All Verso’s powertrains comply with Euro 6 emissions standards. The options are a 1.6-litre petrol Valvematic unit with six-speed manual transmission; 1.8-litre Valvematic petrol with Multidrive S CVT; and 1.6-litre D-4D diesel with six-speed manual gearbox.

Further new features include a new design seven-spoke 16-inch alloy wheel design for Icon models and a new Tidal Blue metallic paint option. A space saver spare wheel is now standard on all Verso modes, except those specified with an optional panoramic roof.

The 2015 Toyota Verso is on sale now, priced from £17,770 for the five-seat Active model. Seven-seat models cost from £18,300 and the Trend Plus models start at £24,650

USA SALES APRIL - TOYOTA/LEXUS - The US #1 brand edges further ahead with growth on both brands.

• Toyota division was no 1 brand in April
• RAV4 and Highlander post double-digit gains
• Lexus up nearly 12 percent 

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., has reported April 2015 sales of 203,329 units, an increase of 1.8 percent from April 2014 on a volume basis.  With the same amount of selling days in April 2015 and April 2014, sales were up 1.8 percent on a daily selling rate (DSR) basis. 

Toyota division posted April 2015 sales of 177,453 units, up 0.5 percent on a volume basis and 0.5 percent on a DSR basis. 

  

“Light truck sales have carried the auto industry to its best start in 15 years,” said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president and general manager. “The demand for crossover SUVs is off the charts and both the RAV4 and Highlander set April records.”

Lexus posted sales of 25,876 units, up 11.7 percent from April 2014 on a volume basis and 11.7 percent on a DSR basis. 

“Lexus is off to its best start ever,” said Jeff Bracken, Lexus group vice president and general manager.  “We’re bullish on the industry as we head into the summer selling season and that goes double for the luxury segment.”

April 2015 Highlights:

• Camry is volume leader with sales of 34,066 units
• Corolla up over 10 percent
• Toyota Light trucks up 8 percent
• RAV4 up almost 22 percent; posted sales of 22,914 units
• 4Runner up 18 percent
• Tacoma up 12.9 percent
• Tundra up 4.5 percent, posted sales of 10,681 units
• Lexus luxury utility vehicles up 23.5 percent
• NX posted sales of 3,421 units
• GX up 19 percent

*Note:  Unless otherwise stated, all figures reflect unadjusted raw sales volume

Toyota is pleased to announce it has beaten the £1,000,000 mark for the NSPCC.

Toyota Manufacturing UK has reach its target of raising £1 million for the NSPCC, money which has been put to good use in projects supporting children in the regions around its factories in Derbyshire and North Wales.

Toyota launched its partnership with the charity in 2006, raising money through company and employee fund-raising initiatives. Since 2008, donations have been made by the Toyota Manufacturing UK Charitable Trust, taking the total raised so far to £1,015,286.

Toyota’s contribution has helped the NSPCC Schools Service reach more than 15,000 primary school children in Derbyshire and, since 2013, more than 1,650 in Flintshire. 

The money has helped the service meet its target of reaching 1.7 million children across the UK with advice and information on understanding abuse, giving them confidence and courage to speak out and seek help should they ever need it.

TMUK celebrated the efforts of its workforce in reaching the charity milestone with a children’s tea party-themed event attended by schoolchildren and ChildLine volunteers local to its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire.

Peter Wanless, NSPCC Chief Executive, was also among the guests. He said: “On behalf of the NSPCC, I’d like to thank the inspiring team at Toyota for their incredible support, which enables to make a real difference to the lives of local children. Like us, Toyota believes every childhood is worth fighting for. 

Their support will help us protect a generation of local children.”

Tony Walker, a trustee of the charitable trust, said: “The NSPCC does fantastic work to stop cruelty to children and making a real different to the lives of vulnerable young people in our local communities. 

It is with great pleasure that we are able to celebrate the result of nine years of fund-raising by TMUK members – the donation of more than £1 million to the NSPCC.”

UK MARCH SALES - TOYOTA - Near double digit growth, and great fleet sales keep Toyota flying.

• 30,210 Toyota cars sold in the first three months of 2015, a nine per cent increase on 2014’s performance
• Growth in volume well ahead of the overall UK market results
• Significant increase in fleet sales, led by Yaris and Auris hybrids
• New Aygo claims more than 10 per cent of the city car segment
• Prius+ and Verso push MPV sales higher

Cars sold, numbers crunched, results analysed: sales figures from the first three months of the year show Toyota sales on the up, rising at an even faster rate than the UK’s healthy new car market.

The total of 30,210 new Toyotas reaching Britain’s roads marks a nine per cent increase on the brand’s performance in the same period last year. The growth rate is well ahead of the total car market, which grew 6.8 per cent.

Increasingly strong fleet sales are a major contributor to Toyota’s success, led by the performance of Yaris Hybrid and the British-built Auris Hybrid models. More and more businesses and company car drivers are turning to Toyota hybrids to gain the significant cost benefits delivered by the technology’s low emissions, strong fuel economy, proven reliability and low maintenance costs. Toyota hybrids are also appreciated by business motorists for their smooth, refined and comfortable performance – particularly valued by those who regularly face long-distance journeys.

Yaris Hybrid’s fleet sales rose 18.2 per cent on 2014’s results and those for the Auris Hybrid hatch by 31.3 per cent. The Auris Hybrid Touring Sports wagon increased sales by almost a quarter. Overall, hybrid sales represent 24 per cent of total Toyota sales so far in 2015.

New Aygo has established itself as a top-three performer in the fiercely competitive city car market. With sales volume up by more than 37 per cent, it is currently claiming more than 10 per cent of overall segment sales, helped by its sharp styling and great choice of personalisation features.

Toyota’s MPV’s are also prospering, with Verso boosted by the introduction of its new 1.6 D-4D diesel engine and Prius+ reinvigorated by its styling and equipment revisions for 2015. As a consequence, Verso Q1 sales have climbed almost 17 per cent and Prius+ by more than 25 per cent.

UK SALES - TOYOTA - More growth with significant gains across the entire range.

• Hybrid models account for almost a quarter of all Toyotas sold in the UK in 2014
• Third consecutive year of growth for Toyota  group sales, reaching highest total since 2009
• British-built Auris a star performer, posting 17.8 per cent rise in sales
• New model increases Aygo performance by 26.8 per cent year on year, Yaris Hybrid up by 47.1 per cent
• Light commercials and Lexus also post significant gains

The successful progress of hybrid power to become a mainstream choice for Britain’s car buyers has helped Toyota post its third successive year of sales growth in the UK. At year-end, hybrids accounted for almost a quarter (23 per cent) of all Toyota cars sold.

Toyota has put hybrid at the heart of the market, introducing the technology in core models such as Auris and Yaris. In 2014 the British-built Auris range, including hybrid, marked a 17.8 per increase, while Yaris Hybrid – a unique proposition in the supermini segment – achieved a 47.1 rise in sales volume.

The introduction of new Aygo early in the year generated a huge response in UK showrooms, its wealth of personalisation possibilities helping it to a 26.8 per cent sales hike.

Toyota’s strategic addition of a new, low emissions, 2.0-litre D-4D diesel front-wheel drive version of RAV4 also proved a big success, helping drive fleet sales of the compact SUV up by 49 per cent.

Toyota group sales, including light commercials and Lexus, reached their highest level for five years, at 115,197 units. Hilux continues to go from strength to strength, helping Toyota achieve an increase of almost 20 per cent in its LCV sales.

Lexus sales rose to a seven year high, helped by a near-doubling of IS sales and an excellent early response to the launch of the new NX 300h crossover. 

Matt Harrison, Toyota President and Managing Director said: “The past year has been a good one for Toyota and the retail motor industry in the UK as a whole. The results we have achieved demonstrate that Toyota’s pioneering investment in hybrid technology is paying big dividends and continues to reshape public preferences and expectations about vehicle performance, efficiency and refinement.”

Toyota group sales 2014

Toyota cars (% increase on 2013)	94,013 (+6.1%)
Toyota LCVs	9,612 (+19.2%)
Lexus cars	11,572 (+28.4%)
Toyota group total	115,197 (+9.0%)

Toyota makes life easier with Intelligent Clearance Sonar, I bet i will still hit something.

Imagine how much easier life would be if your car realised when you’re about to reverse into a high kerb and could intervene to prevent a costly scrape? Or if you could make your car transparent, so you have a complete view of your surroundings when edging back into a parking space? Toyota is ready to help with clever improvements to its parking support technology that it will be featuring on new models from next year.

Intelligent Clearance Sonar

Toyota’s Intelligent Clearance Sonar not only detects obstacles, it also helps prevent or mitigate collisions where the driver hits the accelerator by mistake – a familiar hazard when backing out of a parking space. Toyota has improved the system by adding extra sensors that can detect objects further away, increasing the breadth and depth of scanning.

It has also reworked the system’s control logic so that there is less risk of colliding with adjacent vehicles or obstacles, even when using the wrong pedal isn’t the issue, for example when driving slowly around a car park, or pulling out of a parking space.

Toyota’s Intelligent Park Assist system now uses ICS to prevent or reduce the consequences of collisions by deploying automated braking. It can also take the strain out of parking with a new multi-point turn support function that provides automatic steering control¹ in tight spaces where the driver has to make multiple turns of the wheel.

IPA’s benefits also include A partially automated¹ function to help drivers negotiate their way out of a parallel parking spot where there’s little room in front and behind the vehicle.

Panoramic View Monitor

Vehicles fitted with Toyota’s Panoramic View Monitor can already take advantage of an overhead view of their car, displayed on the navigation system’s screen. 

The view is being made even clearer with a new See-through View function. At the press of a button, the driver can flip between Moving View, which displays real-time video as if looking down on the vehicle, and See-through View, which gives a driver’s perspective of the car’s surroundings, as if the vehicle were transparent. Compared to Moving View, obstacles are shown larger, making them easier to spot and avoid.

Toyota’s improvements to its parking support technology are intended to make parking safer and reduce the high level of property damage accidents witnessed in car parks worldwide. 

This in turn supports its mission to help eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries. Toyota’s Integrated Safety Management Concept sets the direction for the development of both vehicles and safety technology. It covers all aspects of driving by integrating individual safety technologies and systems, rather than viewing them as units that function independently.

Toyota is committed to a wide range of initiatives that address traffic safety, from developing ever-safer vehicles and technologies to helping create a safer traffic environment and engaging in educational activities.

¹ The driver maintains control of the brakes, accelerator and gear shift.

Toyota celebrates hitting the nine million mark for production in Europe.

Toyota is one of Japan’s best-known businesses, but its status as a global manufacturer is witnessed by the fact its vehicle production in Europe has passed nine million units. Local production has flourished to the point where two out of every three Toyota vehicles sold in Europe is built here, too.

From Portugal in the west, to Russia in the east, there are six Toyota vehicle plants and three powertrain factories in Europe. In Britain Toyota Manufacturing UK has been producing cars at Burnaston in Derbyshire and engines at Deeside in North Wales since 1992. The Burnaston operation currently builds all versions of Auris and Avensis, and has the distinction of being Toyota’s first centre for hybrid vehicle production in Europe.

Didier Leroy, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: “We have a long tradition of building locally what we sell locally. Recently we have also expanded our exports outside Europe, based on the competitiveness of our European operations. We are committed to keeping production in Europe by bringing technology like hybrid and management innovations that enable us to keep our manufacturing plants globally competitive.”

Speaking at the recent Paris motor show, Leroy added that Toyota’s European operations are profitable as well, thanks to three consecutive years of growth in Europe and the prospective of a further rise in sales volume this year.

He said: “Looking ahead, we have every reason to remain optimistic. With the recent launch of the new generation Aygo and Yaris, we have the youngest offerings in the compact car market. We are confident they will reinforce our position in the city car and supermini segments and strengthen the foundations of our European manufacturing operations.

Toyota’s European designers have gained increasing autonomy from Japan in the development of new models that are tailored to suit European drivers’ tastes, including new Aygo, Yaris and the C-HR crossover concept revealed in Paris.

Europe is adopting a more significant role as global planning centre to define future generations of cars competing in the core A, B and C segments.

Manufacturing history and production centres

Toyota’s European manufacturing began in 1971 with the opening of the Toyota Caetano plant in Portugal, which initially built Corolla models. Forty-three years later, Toyota has manufacturing centres in seven European countries, the result of more than €8 billion investment.

• Toyota Caetano Portugal: started production in 1971 and currently produces the Dyna light commercial vehicle.
• Toyota Manufacturing UK: opened in 1992, TMUK today builds the Avensis saloon and tourer and Auris hatchback and Touring Sports, including hybrid models. It also produces 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol engines and assembles hybrid engines at Deeside.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey: established in 1994, TMMUK currently builds Verso and Corolla models.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing France: based in Valenciennes in northern France, TMMF is the centre for Yaris production in Europe, including the hybrid.
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing Poland: Toyota produces the 1.0-litre petrol engine for Aygo and Yaris at TMMP, together with manual transmissions used in Auris, Avensis, Verso, Corolla and Aygo. The plant opened in 2002.
• Toyota Motor Industries Poland: TMIP is home to production of 2.0 and 2.2-litre diesel engines for Avensis, Auris and RAV4 and the 1.4-litre D-4D unit featured in Yaris, Auris and Corolla. The factory has been in operation since 2005.
• Toyota Peugeot Citroën Automobile Czech: this joint venture with PSA Peugeot Citroën was set up in Kolin in the Czech Republic in 2005 to build Aygo, alongside the Citroën C1 and Peugeot 108.
• Toyota Motor Russia: Toyota’s newest European production centre began operations in St Petersburg in 2007, manufacturing Camry saloons. This year it is set to add stamping and plastics production to its business and it is preparing to manufacture RAV4 from 2016.