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Toyota breaks ground on new Texas HQ

Automakers are on the move in America: Cadillac is shifting from Detroit to New York, Mercedes is moving its US headquarters from New Jersey to Atlanta, and Toyota is relocating its North American operations from locations around the country to a new facility outside of Dallas in northern Texas. That process started yesterday when the Japanese automaker broke ground at the new facility. Toyota used a 2015 Tundra TRD Pro Series pickup to officially break ground at the intersection of Headquarters Drive and Palomino Crossing in Plano, TX, with the city's mayor joining Toyota Motor North America CEO Jim Lentz and a crowd of 100 dignitaries. Toyota announced the relocation back in April, and in the months since has purchased the property, hired a developer, architect and project manager, and filed preliminary plans with city hall. The site is set to be ready late in 2016 or early 2017, moving operations from California, Kentucky and New York. Other facilities like the one in Ann Arbor, MI, will not be affected by the relocation. Related Video: TOYOTA PLOWS FORWARD IN PLANO, BREAKS GROUND ON NEW HEADQUARTERS PLANO, TEXAS, JAN. 20, 2015 – A V-8 engine growls, and the earth moves. With the roar of a 2015 TRD Pro Series Tundra, Toyota today formally broke ground on its new North American headquarters at the intersection of Headquarters Drive and Palomino Crossing in Plano, Texas. The Tundra took center stage, bulldozing the first soil on the site of Toyota's new campus in a manner that can only be described as not your traditional groundbreaking ceremony. "The support and encouragement we've received from the community, civic leaders, business partners and nearby corporations has been nothing short of tremendous," said Jim Lentz, Toyota Motor North America chief executive officer. "Our goal is to build an environmentally-sustainable campus that our new neighbors will welcome and our team members and associates will be proud to call home." Toyota also unveiled an installation during the ceremony: the word "TOYOTA" in large letters, standing 10 feet tall and 64 feet wide. Inside each letter are native Texan Yaupon Holly trees, which represent "wish" trees, a Japanese cultural tradition. Students from the Plano ISD Academy High School and community participants contributed to the event by adding handwritten notes to the trees representing their wishes, dreams, hopes and inspirations.

Toyota and Lexus recall models for inadvertent airbag deployment

The Basics: Toyota will recall 320,000 examples in the US of the 2003-2006 Land Cruiser, 2004-2006 4Runner, 2005-2006 Tundra and Sequoia, 2003-2006 Lexus LX470, and 2004-2006 GX470. The Problem: The curtain shield airbags that come down from the roof can inadvertently deploy shortly after vehicle startup. This is due to improper programming of the airbag control module. Injuries/Deaths: "Toyota is not aware of any crashes caused by the condition. We have received reports alleging injuries such as abrasions and ringing in ears," company spokesperson Cindy Knight told Autoblog. The Fix: Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace the airbag control module with a new part, which will have improved programming. If You Own One: Toyota and Lexus will notify affected owners by mail early this month. Related Video: Toyota and Lexus Recall Certain Land Cruiser, 4Runner, Tundra, Sequoia, LX, and GX Vehicles February 02, 2016 TORRANCE, Calif., February 2, 2016 – Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. today announced that it is conducting a safety recall of approximately 320,000 Model Year 2003-2006 Land Cruiser; 2004-2006 4Runner; 2005-2006 Tundra and Sequoia; 2003-2006 LX 470; and 2004-2006 GX 470 vehicles. The involved vehicles are equipped with side Curtain-Shield-Airbags (CSAs) which deploy from the roof in the event of certain types of crashes. Due to improper programming in the airbag control modules, there is a possibility that, under certain specific and limited conditions shortly after startup, the CSAs and seat belt pretensioners could activate when not necessary. Unexpected activation of the CSAs could increase the risk of injury to the occupant. All known owners of the involved vehicles will be notified by first class mail. Toyota and Lexus dealers will replace the airbag control module with one which has an improved programming at no cost to owners. Information about automotive recalls, including but not limited to the list of involved vehicles, is subject to change over time. For the most up-to-date Safety Recall information on Lexus, Toyota and Scion customers should check their vehicle's status by visiting http://www.toyota.com/recall and entering the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Safety Recall inquiry by individual VIN is also available at the NHTSA site: safercar.gov/vin. For any additional questions, customer support is also available by calling Toyota Customer Service at 1-800-331-4331 or Lexus Customer Service at 1-800-255-3987.

Suzuki will road-test EVs in India, start production with Toyota in 2020

NEW DELHI — Japan's Suzuki Motor Corp will start testing prototypes of electric vehicles in India by October, its chairman said on Friday. "We will start road-running tests using a fleet of 50 EV prototype vehicles in India from next month in order to develop safe and easy-to-use EVs for Indian customers," Osamu Suzuki said at the Global Mobility Summit at New Delhi. The company would then launch EVs in India around 2020 in cooperation with Toyota, he added. However, Suzuki said that for EVs to become popular in India, there had to be well-developed charging infrastructure. "In this regard, we look forward to proactive leadership from the Indian government," he said. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a plan to electrify all new vehicles by 2030, a target many experts call ambitious. EVs are expensive due to the high cost of batteries which are still not manufactured in India, and carmakers say a lack of charging stations could make the proposition unviable. Suzuki, parent of India's top-selling automaker, Maruti Suzuki, would start production of lithium-ion batteries for automobiles at its plant in western India from 2020, Suzuki said. India is one of the world's fastest-growing car markets, but EV sales are negligible compared with millions of petrol and diesel cars sold every year. Suzuki said to meet India's environmental challenges, the government would have to look at hybrid and CNG (compressed natural gas) vehicles also.Related Video: