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How Charlotte lost to Plano without even knowing it was dealing with Toyota

With Toyota set to relocate its North American headquarters to the Dallas, TX suburb of Plano following a top-secret, 100-city search, the cities that missed out can now begin asking themselves what happened during a process they apparently knew little about.
That's a particularly brutal task for Charlotte, which, according to North Carolina's Secretary of Commerce, Sharon Decker, finished second to Plano. While Toyota has been fairly open about what it was looking for in a new headquarters city - direct flights to Japan, proximity to its US production facilities, a lower cost of living, high-quality educational facilities and finding a neutral site suitable to the California, Kentucky and New York-based employees that would be relocated - it's been less open about how the finalist cities, which also included Atlanta and Denver, stacked up against each other.
The Charlotte Observer has a few ideas. Part of the problem is the distinct lack of direct flights between Charlotte and Asia. US Airways, which operates a hub at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, doesn't fly to Asia.

Toyota bringing updated Avensis to Geneva

The upper end of Toyota's sedan lineup in America may be all about the Camry and Avalon, but that's not the case everywhere in the world. Back home in Japan, Toyota offers the Crown and the Mark X. But in Europe, it all comes down to the Avensis. And the Japanese automaker is about to roll out an updated version at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The Avensis, for those unfamiliar, is Toyota's challenger to the likes of the Ford Mondeo (which we know as the Fusion) and the Volkswagen Passat, available in both sedan and wagon forms. It was first introduced in 1997 and is currently in its third iteration, but what you see here is not the fourth-generation model but an update on the MkIII that hit the European market in 2009. Full details on the refreshed model have yet to be disclosed, but the new Avensis clearly benefits from revised styling – carried out at the company's design studio in the South of France, with production to continue at the Burnaston plant in the UK. Expect a revised interior, updated equipment and a new engine range to also be part of the mix when the new Avensis is revealed in full early next month in Switzerland. TOYOTA TO REVEAL NEW AVENSIS AT THE GENEVA MOTOR SHOW Toyota will reveal the new Avensis at the Geneva motor show (3 – 15 March), the latest development of its contender in the European mid-size (D-segment) car market. New Avensis has been styled at Toyota's ED2 design studio in the South of France and developed by the company's R&D centre in Brussels. It will be built by Toyota Manufacturing UK at the Burnaston car plant, near Derby. The new model will deliver innovations in comfort and safety and will feature a new range of engines that promise both performance and efficiency. Avensis has been designed to appeal to fleet and private customers alike. Toyota will present new Avensis and host a press conference on its stand at the Geneva motor show at 12:15 on 3 March. Featured Gallery 2016 Toyota Avensis News Source: Toyota Geneva Motor Show Toyota Wagon Sedan 2015 Geneva Motor Show toyota avensis

Car and Driver shows off awesome 1960s ads

Someone must have recently rediscovered the keys to the archives at Car and Driver, and the access has been put to good use. Following last month's fantastic look at automotive ads from the '50s, there's now a new gallery running from March 1960 through December 1969. This collection provides a great overview of a decade full of iconic cars. If you're a fan of Carroll Shelby, particularly his Mustangs, then there's a lot to love among this group. One ad from July 1965 aimed to sell the GT350, but with an ocean of text and a tiny picture, it probably could've used a once-over by Don Draper's team. By December '65, the copywriters ironed out the problems with a spot proclaiming boldly "Shelby GT350 is 'Son of Cobra.'" The company offered some great accessories, too. For those into European motoring, there's a humorous attempt to sell the Alfa Romeo Giulia as both a racecar and family hauler. Toyota also boasts about the winning record for the 2000GT. Among the best text comes from BMW for lines like: "What's BMW got? The most advanced high-performance engine in any production car, for a cruising speed of 100 mph." Of course, Volkswagen's famous "Lemon" ad for the Beetle also gets its due here. Separately, each of these ads is fascinating, but taken together they tell the story of a great decade of motoring. Go give them all a read at Car and Driver. Related Video: News Source: Car and DriverImage Credit: GM Heritage Center Marketing/Advertising Read This Alfa Romeo BMW Ford Toyota Volkswagen shelby alfa romeo giulia shelby gt350 toyota 2000gt