2000 Toyota Celica Gts Hatchback 2-door 1.8l Purple 120,000 Miles 6 Speed Stick on 2040-cars

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Toyota raises Japanese base wages for first time since 2008

Toyota is on track for record profits, and in return, its Japanese workers are receiving their first increase in base wages since 2008, plus higher pay based on seniority and a larger bonus for 2014. The Japanese automaker predicts the average laborer will net a 2.9 percent income gain.
The average Toyota employee will earn 2,700 yen ($26.28) more each month, a 0.8 percent increase from last year. Workers will also receive about 7,300 yen ($71.09) more monthly based on seniority and promotions. Finally, the company's union pushed through a median bonus of 2.44 million yen ($23,768) for 2014, the highest in 6 years.
The pay boost comes as Toyota forecasts a record 1.9-trillion yen ($18.5 billion) profit for the fiscal year ending on March 31, according to Bloomberg. It has been helped by the Japanese government's efforts to weaken the yen on international markets and expand inflation. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been asking businesses to increase compensation to end years of deflation and offset upcoming higher sales taxes. Honda and Nissan have also raised their wages there in recent months.

What to do if the infotainment in your Lexus isn't working

According to Toyota, "errant data from our traffic and weather data service provider" caused the infotainment systems in 2014-2016 Lexus vehicles and the 2016 Toyota Land Cruiser to go into some sort of endless reboot loop. The video above shows what that looks like, in case you're interested. Obviously, it's not good – the malfunction means the audio systems, navigation and climate control systems aren't working properly, and that the hands-free mobile phone function won't work. Apparently, some owners were able to manually fix their cars by disconnecting the battery cables for 10 minutes, which forces the car's computer systems to restart. But Toyota isn't officially suggesting that people take that action. Instead, "Toyota and Lexus owners experiencing these issues should visit their dealer for a complimentary system reset and a confirmation of the system," the automaker said in a statement. It's worth noting that issues with the usability of modern infotainment systems have caused customer satisfaction scores to drop. Lexus, though, has been mostly immune to such complaints, having come in first place in J.D. Power's most recent Vehicle Dependability study. Not that you should automatically trust those findings, anyway... Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: Lexus via Twitter Lexus Toyota Auto Repair Ownership Technology Infotainment

Toyota goofs again in latest Mirai fuel cell ad

In the "gotcha" culture engendered by social media and viral campaigns, it looks like Toyota got, well, got. The Japanese automaker is starting a campaign for its Mirai fuel-cell vehicle, and included a line about the fact that the car "breathes in air." Of course, all light-duty vehicles do that, as Jalopnik's Opposite Lock happily pointed out. Jalopnik added that even electric vehicles have an air intake for their heat exchangers. Oops. It looks like Toyota doesn't think this message is wrong, since the image is still up on the company's Google+ page. The Mirai can still lay claim to something that may impress the layman in that it emits only water vapor from its tailpipe. It's a pitch Toyota started making to Americans last November when the company said it would start Mirai sales this year in California. Toyota's charging an MSRP of $57,500 for those looking to buy the car outright or a three-year lease rate of $499 a month for 36 months (with $3,649 due at signing) for those to want to lease the car. Toyota also said in January that it would ramp up Mirai production to about 2,000 vehicles in 2016 from about 700 this year, as it expands distribution into Europe and the US. In the US, refueling the hydrogen will be free. Just like the chemistry lesson from Opposite Lock. Related Videos: