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Union to launch Toyota organization drive in Canada

Toyota may be heading toward some labor issues in the Great White North, as employees at a pair of Canadian Toyota factories may be set for a certification vote. The Unifor union, which was the result of a merger last year between the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union, will be holding the vote.
Over 40 percent of the employees at the Woodstock and Cambridge, Ontario factories have signed union cards, cresting the minimum percentage required to instigate a legal certification vote, according to Reuters. The Woodstock factory is responsible for RAV4 production, while Cambridge builds the Lexus RX350 and RX450h, as well as the Toyota Corolla. The two factories employ nearly 7,000 people.
It's unclear when the union will hold a certification vote at the two factories, but what is rather clear are the worker complaints. Employees are concerned about workers being hired on temporary contracts which lack the benefits of full employment, John Aman, head of organizing for Unifor, told Reuters.

Toyota Supra and BMW Z5 coming in 2018 from Austria

A German automaker and a Japanese one get together to jointly develop a new sports car. So where do they build it? In Austria, of course! This according to a newspaper based in Graz, where contract manufacturer Magna Steyr is also based. BMW and Toyota have reportedly been working on a joint sports car program for a while. Toyota's version is expected to revive the Supra name and spirit, while BMW's is to replace the aging Z4 roadster and potentially wear a Z5 badge. Details are still up in the air – or on tight lockdown – but we can expect both to feature six cylinders mounted up front, driving the rear wheels through a proper manual transmission. Now Kleine Zeitung reports that both versions will be built on their behalf by Magna Steyr, and that they'll launch in 2018. The contract manufacturer already builds the Mini Countryman and Paceman for the BMW Group, but the Paceman is being discontinued, and the next-generation Countryman is slated to be moved in-house – following the lead of the Porsche Boxster/Cayman and Aston Martin Rapide. Though the Graz facility still builds the Mercedes G-Class and is soon slated to begin manufacturing for Jaguar Land Rover, the Mini crossovers' departure leaves Steyr with leftover capacity. BMW intends to fill some of that with assembly of the 5 Series sedan, but the joint sports car project ought to fill in the rest. This would mark the first time that Magna Steyr would build a car for Toyota – or any Asian manufacturer for that matter, after a previous contract with Infiniti fell through. It wouldn't be the first time the two have collaborated, though: the Kleine Zeitung report indicates that the FT86 Open concept (in the gallery below) was built by the Austrian workshop, which has expertise in crafting convertibles as well. Steyr has done the roof assemblies for the Mercedes SLK and Opel Astra TwinTop, as well as complete production of the Porsche Boxster and Saab 9-3 Convertible, to name just a few. Expect BMW's version to offer some sort of folding roof mechanism, but it's too early to speculate on the prospect of a convertible Supra. Related Video: Featured Gallery BMW Z5: Spy Shots Related Gallery Toyota FT-86 Open Concept: Geneva 2013 View 13 Photos News Source: Kleine Zeitung via Automotive News Europe - sub. req.Image Credit: Copyright 2016 AOL BMW Toyota Convertible Coupe Performance bmw z5

Toyota SEMA cars include Tundra for Baja and wacky DUB Edition Yaris

Toyota has released the first images of its brigade of concepts for the 2014 SEMA Show, introducing a trio of TRD-fettled off-roaders, a pair of DUB-inspired models, a race-ready pickup and a Sienna minivan with 48 inches worth of subwoofers.
Four of the vehicles being shown by Toyota will take part in the grueling Baja 1000 off-road race. The star of that effort will be a race-prepared Tundra, which will actually be competing from November 12 to 16 in the 47th running of the desert race. It'll be supported by a trio of vehicles, which mimics Toyota's TRD Pro Series production vehicles, with the 4Runner, Tacoma and Tundra all acting as support vehicles.
Each of these vehicles has been fabricated by the off-road specialists at N-Fab and comes loaded down with communications and guidance equipment, additional lights and off-road body modifications.