newenglandhybrid

Exciting news, and a very smart move from Toyota Motor Corp., Moving forward and capitalizing on the ever increasing popularity of Prius hybrid, announced Monday that it will create a family of Prius cars that will include a gas-electric compact based on the FT-CH concept car.

“The Prius name has great value,” Toyota Motor Sales President Jim Lentz said at the North American International Auto Show. “I think in the future, the No. 1 nameplate in the U.S. will be the Prius, not Camry,”

These are the types of projects that make us proud to be so deeply committed to the Toyota Prius at Acton Toyota of Littleton, with having our owner base increasing at twice the largest Toyota Dealer in the region this positions us to be able to have the type of selection that our Hybrid vehicle owners have come to expect.

Here’s some information and a Prius game taken from my Toyota Owner Newsletter….

For all you gamers and hybrid fans out there, here’s your chance to prove you’re the most efficient hybrid driver around. How? We’re introducing Toyota’s new Virtual Drive. Experience Hybrid Synergy Drive® in a new virtual world and gain bragging rights by scoring the most points.

Are you up to the challenge? Check out Toyota’s Virtual Drive to learn more about Hybrid Synergy Drive® and test your ability to drive more efficiently.¹ The game will guide you through various driving scenes around the ancient city of Kyoto, Japan, while teaching the basic Hybrid Synergy Drive® driving skills. Your virtual tour through Kyoto will highlight different driving techniques and features of Hybrid Synergy Drive® technology, from regenerative braking to the new driving modes featured in the 2010 Prius. Maybe your Virtual Drive will even improve your real-world hybrid driving. You’ll score points for each scene and will find out how your technique compares to players in the rest of the world.

@Toyota: Behind the Wheel.

¹Please note that Virtual Drive is intended to teach you more about Hybrid Synergy Drive®. It is only a game and cannot be directly compared to use while driving.

Toyota Increases Your Safety with Safety Connect

Acton Toyota of Littleton is proud to now offer Toyota vehicles equipped with Toyota’s brand new Safety Connect feature. 

Safety Connect links drivers who need assistance to a 24 hour response center by way of an Emergency Assistance Button labeled “SOS.”  The response center can then quickly and efficiently determine the location of the driver and vehicle thanks to Safety Connect’s embedded cellular and GPS technology.

The Safety Connect system ultimately provides drivers the ability to receive help in situations where there is an accident, vehicle theft, or when roadside assistance is required.

Safety Connect boasts an Automatic Collision Notification feature that is designed to notify the Safety Connect response center after airbag deployment or a severe rear-end collision so the center may then quickly send help.

A Stolen Vehicle Location on Safety Connect also allows the response center to track a vehicle’s location and immediately supply it to the police greatly enhancing the chances of recovery.

Additionally, Safety Connect can supply local service providers the vehicle’s location should the driver need Road Assistance such as towing, jump starts, a tire change, or emergency delivery of fluids.

Toyota will offer the first year of service at no charge to the driver who afterwards can then extend the service under a variety of plans.

The system is currently available only on select 2010 Toyota Prius, but will be expanded to cover additional models.  Unfortunately, the system cannot be installed in previous Toyota models, including the Prius. 

If you would like to learn more about Toyota’s Safety Connect feature please feel free to contact our dealership at 978-263-1500 or by email at sales@actontoyota.com

We’ve been dedicated Volvo owners since 1984 handing down our high-mileage vehicles to daughter and sons so that they would be driving reliable, safety-rated cars. Also we generally averaged 30 – 35 mpg so we have not been impressed with US automakers’ promotions to buy American “green”. Their offerings would gain us no significant reductions to our family’s carbon footprint! In September ’08 my husband, one son and I attended a conference in Wyoming and took that opportunity to rent a Prius for the duration. Wow – 60 MPG!!! We saved so much on fuel for the 1000 miles we drove that despite the surcharge for the “green” option, the overall cost was less than the “economy” rental vehicles!

Enter the March ’09 Prius promotion. Given the maintenance costs of my much-loved ’02 Volvo with 210,000 miles, clearly the 3-year lease would save us money if mpg’s could come close to doubling what our Volvo gave us. A concern was carrying capacity for what looks from the outside like a really compact car. So we loaded up the Volvo with skis, backpacks, totes, ski gear bags, cooler and set off to a dealership for a test repack into an on-the-lot Prius. That convinced us of the possibility. Soon after we met a great team at Acton Toyota of Littleton, MA: Juliana, Craig, Ben, Keith, Garret and a host of un-named support personnel.  Two sons and we came away with a Prius each after very favorable trade-in values on two family Volvos.

So now we are in friendly competition with each other for best mileage. So far our 24-year old outdoor leader/environmentalist son has set the standard: 75 mpg on a drive from Old Orchard Beach to his alma mater University of New England in Biddeford, ME. My husband and I have noticed improving mileage in our first 3 ½ months of ownership up from the mid 40’s to now generally 55mpg. Especially I love (who would have “thunk it”!) long/slow bumper-to-bumper commutes to/from Cape Cod /Boston where for 30+ miles I can get 100 mpg solely on the battery. YAY! Best of all, 3 families have reduced our carbon footprints!

The ride and handling of the Prius is great. We are glad to be leasing as we hope during these next 3 years Toyota will continue to improve technology. If Toyota continues to outstrip US efforts, we will remain loyal customers. We are glad Toyota provides jobs in the US; – please make/keep the technology clean in production as well.

 Garland

2010 Prius training began today in the Boston Region. After my trip to Toyota’s regional office today and receiving training on the all-new 2010 Toyota Prius, I can say that the Prius has no competition.

We got to take an in depth look at not only the Prius but also a couple of so-called competitors today. The Ford Fusion Hybrid being one as well as the Honda Insight, which is being built up to be some sort of Prius killer…really? The Fusion was a stylish, full sized sedan with a full sized price tag to match. The Honda Insight is a nice SUB COMPACT car that has a really cute 13 horsepower motor that assist the gas motor, 13 horsepower is that really what they claim is going to have hybrid fans running to buy?

Don’t get me wrong, I am happy that other manufacturers see the need to develop and build hybrid vehicles. I just find it amusing when these vehicles have the audacity to try to compare them against what is clearly the undisputed pound for pound greatest hybrid vehicle around. The 2010 Prius takes the advantages already had by Toyota and solidifies the market leadership with not only new green features such as better fuel economy, but also pushes the technology factor with such features as Dynamic Radar Cruise control.

There are many reasons why the Prius has dominated this segment and accounts for 80% of all hybrid sales here in New England. I would encourage people to take a close look and drive each of these cars; I think the same conclusions will be made. The Honda is a nice car and is less money than a Prius, this being said it should be given the size and content you pay for. The Hybrid Fusion? I guess it was o.k. but is Ford really going to commit to building enough of them to matter?

This is just my opinion, but after looking at what else is in this segment it makes me even prouder knowing I represent the clear market leader

Scheduled 2010 Toyota Prius product training today for all of the sales reps and sales management in the store. We will be attending Prius training sessions for the Boston Region during the week of June 8th-11th. It’s exciting to know this car is getting close and we will have a staff capable of handling the already growing list of 2010 Toyota Prius customers we look forward to sharing this knowledge with.

I heard about this a few weeks back and waited to comment….mostly because I don’t know how “hybrid” it is to race cars, but I guess I should be happy that NASCAR has decided to have a Toyota Camry Hybrid as the pace car for the 50th running of the Coca Cola 500.

Here is the official info from Toyota pit pass…..
TORRANCE, Calif. (April 21, 2009) — When a Toyota Camry Hybrid leads the 43-car starting field to the green flag for the 50th running of the Coca-Cola 600 (Fox, 5:00 p.m., ET) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS), it will mark the first time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) history a hybrid vehicle will serve as the ‘official’ pace car for an entire race.

Before being approved to serve as the pace car for the upcoming May race the Camry Hybrid had to pass a NASCAR-mandated performance test. In order to qualify as a pace car for the race at LMS, a vehicle is required to reach speeds close to 100 miles per hour from a stand-by position near the exit of pit road to the time it reaches the exit of turn two, a distance of approximately one-quarter-mile.

So there it is folks, love it or think it’s a venue that is an odd combination….NASCAR and Camry Hybrid, what’s next? I guess we wait and see.