Taking Toyota to a New Place on the Web: PlanetKaizen

TORRANCE, Calif, Sept. 28 -- Toyota is peeling back the metal on its cars and trucks to divulge the inner workings and engineering advances on its vehicles to auto enthusiasts via a new website, PlanetKaizen (www.toyota.com/planetkaizen).

PlanetKaizen is an entirely new interactive direction for Toyota to share its rich heritage and product innovations to enthusiasts who pore over car magazines, spend hours surfing the Internet for automotive information each week and serve as "car gurus" to their friends and relatives.

"Toyota.com is the top automotive website for consumers looking for basic information on our cars and company, but PlanetKaizen is designed for those people who want to dig deeper and see what's really happening inside Toyota," said Deborah Meyer, corporate marketing communications manager. "PlanetKaizen is a source for vast amounts of technical information that was previously provided only to journalists and dealership personnel -- not directly to the public."

The name PlanetKaizen was inspired by Toyota's dedication to continuous improvement, or kaizen. While Toyota is seen as having high-quality vehicles, sometimes the advanced engineering and obsessive passion that goes into improving every design and manufacturing process of Toyota's cars isn't conveyed through traditional sources.

Through PlanetKaizen, enthusiasts can access numerous areas of information to expand their knowledge. They'll be able to delve into technical topics, get the latest news and talk with Toyota personnel or one another.

The site, which is designed as though the consumer is in the driver's seat, is divided into three categories, Explore, Encounter and Enjoy:

   *  Explore
      *  Technology and performance -- the inner working of Toyota's
         vehicles
      *  Process and manufacturing -- how Toyota applies kaizen in
         everything it does
      *  Green and environment -- steps Toyota's taking to have less
         environmental impact
      *  Safety -- descriptions and virtual demonstrations of safety
         features
      *  Who knew? -- factoids about Toyota, i.e. the Lotus Elise uses the
         Celica engine
      *  Questions from Out There -- interaction with Toyota

   *  Encounter
      *  Become a resident or member
      *  Test your Nuts and Bolts quiz -- become part of a resident panel
         with special website access
      *  Exclusive sneak peaks/vehicle unveilings
      *  Media center -- press clips, video and URLs

   *  Enjoy
      *  Eye Kandy -- screen savers and wallpaper
      *  We know your kind -- Latest automotive news, press releases and an
         extensive list of automotive-related websites.

The first phase of PlanetKaizen will launch September 28 and will be promoted through Internet banner advertisements and via ads in auto enthusiast publications. New information and content will be added regularly to the site to continue to encourage visitors to return frequently.

"Through PlanetKaizen we're offering visitors a chance to see a new dimension of Toyota," said Meyer. "That's what our new brand message is all about."

About Toyota Motor Sales:

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1415 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, R&D and general aviation. The company's main website is www.toyota.com.

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http://www.Toyota.com

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