Hudson Toyota: 2012

Thursday, November 1, 2012

"Great Experience From Start to Finish" - Shelly R.

"This was my first experience with Hudson Toyota. It was a great experience from start to finish. I dealt with Melissa on the phone and Micah at the dealer-ship. Micah was wonderful. knowledgeable, patient and had excellent manners. It was a high- class experience that I will recommend."

Shelly R.

Vehicle Purchased: 2006 Toyota Highlander

Sales People: Melissa and Micah

"Extremely Helpful" - Jarrett M.

"Micah was extremely helpful during the process and was quick to move back and forth between negotiations. He was friendly and assisted with my purchase in a professional manner."

Jarrett M.

Vehicle Purchased: 2010 Toyota Tacoma

Sales Person: Micah Perdue

Friday, October 19, 2012

ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH

Hudson Toyota Chrysler Dodge Jeep invites you to ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH Outdoor FESTIVAL on Saturday, Oct. 20 at the dealership. The family fun festival will feature live music by The Pat Ballard Band, Eddie Pennington, Alonzo Pennington Band, and Boscoe France Band. Bill McClain will emcee and perform his comedy routine in between music sets.

Children's activities include face painting, Bouncing B's inflatables, games and a Costume Contest for children at 5:00pm.

In addition to the music and kid friendly events, there will be refreshments and corn hole. All Relay For Life Teams and Families With Cancer support efforts are invited to participate. Donations will be collected throughout the event to go to finding a cure for cancer. Hudson Toyota Chrysler Dodge Jeep will match the donations up to $5000!

For information about the event, contact Lisa Moberly at Hudson Toyota Chrysler Dodge Jeep, 821-3372 or lmoberly@hudsonauto.com

Thursday, October 18, 2012

ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH

Monday, October 15, 2012

ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH

Saturday, October 13, 2012

ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

ROCKIN' FOR RESEARCH

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Toyota Tundra can (and will) pull a Space Shuttle

TThe battle amongst full-size pickup trucks from Ford, Chevy and Ram is as close to a bloodsport as the auto industry has, but now it might be Toyota that gets the last laugh in the tonnage towing race. In what should prove to be the mother of all publicity stunts, a showroom-stock 2012 Toyota Tundra will tow the space shuttle Endeavour to its final resting place at the California Science Center.

How exactly does a bone-stock, half-ton pickup tow almost 300,000 pounds, you ask? A quarter mile at a time using a specially designed rig.

Endeavour will be towed 12 miles from Los Angeles International Airport to the museum on October 13, and the Tundra will hitch up to the shuttle for the last quarter mile of the trip. The towing rig was made specifically for this event, allowing the full-size Tundra to pull almost 30 times its regular towing capacity. Toyota says that the truck used to tow Endeavour will be a stock V8 Tundra with no enhancements or modifications.

The Endeavour exhibit opens at the California Science Center on October 30, joining other airplanes and spacecraft including the capsule from the Gemini 11 mission. The Tundra that tows the shuttle will remain on display at the museum as well.
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/15/toyota-tundra-can-and-will-pull-a-space-shuttle/

Friday, September 14, 2012

"Made Our Buying Experience Enjoyable." -- Kelly L.

"Our sales representative was very helpful and informative. She made us feel taken care of. She made our buying experience enjoyable."
- Kelly L.
Vehicle Purchased: 2010 Chevy Silverado
Salesperson: Melissa Miracle

"Delievered to My Home for Free." -- Brian M.

"The sales service was very friendly and were available to meet with us at the scheduled appointment time. The entire process was online and the dealership even delivered the vehicle to my home in Paducah for free."
- Brian M.
Vehicle Purchased: 2005 Kia Sorento
Salesperson: Micah Perdue

"No High Pressure Tactics." -- Tim B.

"Andrew gave us excellent customer service with no high pressure tactics. I appreciate that."
- Tim B.
Vehicle Purchased: 2012 Toyota Camry LE
Salesperson: Andrew Baker

"Very Satisfied With the Service Center." -- Finis C.

"I bought a 2011 Camry last year and was very satisfied with it. I came here again because I have been very satisfied with the Service Center here. They are very time efficient."
- Finis C.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Hudson made the buying experience easy

Hudson made the buying experience easy. With their "How can we earn your business" attitude, their sales process is far superior to other dealerships! I am 100% satisfied and will recommend Hudson to other buyers! Great customer service = Great customer loyalty. Hudson definitely has it! Great job!
http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Hudson-Toyota-review-35145/##r796007

Saturday, September 8, 2012

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes - Atlanta Motor Speedway

TOYOTA NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Post-Race Notes & Quotes - Atlanta Motor Speedway

Camry driver Denny Hamlin earned his fourth victory of the season in Sunday nights NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway and clinched his position in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, which will begin at Chicagoland Speedway in two weeks.

Hamlin led the field seven times for 105 laps (of 327) to claim his 21st career NSCS victory, his 18th win driving a Toyota and his inaugural NSCS win at the Atlanta speedway.

This is the seventh victory of the season for Camry drivers and 46th since Toyota joined the series in 2007.

Camry driver Martin Truex Jr. led once for 40 laps finished fourth in the race. Truex clinched a spot in the 10-race Chase along with his teammate Clint Bowyer -- the first Chase seeds for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Kyle Busch (sixth) and Mark Martin (10th) also earned top-10 results for Toyota at Atlanta.

Other Camry drivers in the field included Joey Logano (18th), Bobby Labonte (19th), Landon Cassill (20th), Travis Kvapil (26th), Bowyer (27th), Jason Leffler (38th), David Stremme (39th), Reed Sorenson (42nd) and Joe Nemechek (43rd).

Four Camry drivers are in the top-15 in the unofficial NSCS driver point standings following Atlanta -- Truex (fifth), Hamlin (seventh), Bowyer (eighth) and Busch (12th).

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 1st

How bad did you want to win at Atlanta?
This was one I wanted real bad -- last week was a big one, no doubt about it. Ive been really good here at Atlanta the last year and not won. We wore our splitter out and I didnt have anything left there at the end. Our car faded a little bit, but the pit crew won me the race. Thats what a championship team is all about is to have all those pieces of the puzzle put together and this year I think we have it all.

How happy are you with the win?
Im 70 percent happy for us and 30 percent sad for Michael (Waltrip) and Martin Truex and those guys. One way or another -- some shape or form, they are teammates of ours -- Toyota teammates. I cant say enough about Sport Clips coming on board for this race -- thank FedEx for everything theyve done for 35 races of the schedule. Gosh, this is a big win.

What does this win say about your team for the Chase?
I dont say anything -- wins is all that matters.

Did your pit crew win this race?
They nailed it -- there is nothing else I can say about it. They were just on it all day long. This is a testament to the team that Darian Grubb (crew chief) has assembled. He has assembled a championship-caliber team. Honestly, it starts with Mike Ford -- he put 90 percent of these guys together and kind of guided us to where were at and now Darian has just taken over and weve been taking off ever since then. I have to thank both of those guys.

What crossed your mind battling Jeff Gordon for the win?
Two things -- I wanted to win to be the number one seed. Second, that was going to knock my teammate out of the Chase and I am not for that. Im a Joe Gibbs guy and I always will be for the life of me and Im going to do whatever it takes to get as many cars in there because it helps me -- we need Kyle (Busch) in there, we need Joey (Logano) in there and if Jeff (Gordon) won that race, it was going to be all over. We had to do what we had to do.

What does it mean to know you will be the number one seed when the Chase starts?
It means a lot. I look at Richmond as a race were going to go win. Thats my track -- its my best track arguably and I just think we have a lot of momentum now and for what its worth, I will try to take advantage of it.

Were you of the implications on your teammate if Jeff Gordon won the race?
Well, I knew first and foremost I couldnt let him (Jeff Gordon) get around me. I knew that that was my number one priority. If we would have got side by side, I dont know what would have happened because I knew he ?? I couldnt let him get to the line first, and so for me, its in my mind, it was in my mind last week racing Carl (Edwards) for the lead in Bristol.

DARIAN GRUBB, crew chief, No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing

How many scenarios did you see in tonights race?
It was a pretty interesting night all the way around, just the way all the scenarios worked out. We were one of the only cars that could have done it on one more stop with fuel there with 105 to go or something like that. Its hard to play those games because even Denny (Hamlin) was getting upset that we were having to go so slow at the end of these runs and watching (Kevin) Harvick pull away. But we did our pit stops, and in 14 laps we were right on his bumper again. You play through those scenarios, the fuel mileage, the tire windows and the car. Denny did a great job managing that tonight, and it all came down to that last pit and the pit crew did an incredible job, never missed a beat. We had a couple of hiccups starting off the night, but they rebounded and showed their championship form and did it when it counted.

MARTIN TRUEX JR., No. 56 NAPA Shocks Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 4th

What happened on the final restart?
Just spun the tires. All night long I had trouble when I was on the outside with spinning the tires. As soon as I went to third gear, it was really strange -- usually I get it into second and then when you get to third youre okay. Id be okay in second and be right there with him and get to third at the start-finish line and just smoke the tires like a dragster. It just wasnt meant to be again I guess.

Were you happy with your run tonight?
Yes and no. It sure would have been nice to get a win. Weve been pretty close here lately. It just sucks when you have one locked up like that and a caution comes out. Thats the way it goes and we werent good enough on restarts. Just wasnt good enough tonight.

Will you be happy about making the Chase tomorrow?
There will be plenty of positives tomorrow. Its tough losing when you havent won in a long time. People keep asking, When are you going to win? When are you going to win? Were close. Just sucks we couldnt get it done tonight.

CHAD JOHNSTON, crew chief, No. 56 NAPA Shocks Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing

What does making the Chase mean to this organization?
Obviously, its a big deal for us, big deal for NAPA, big deal for MWR (Michael Waltrip Racing). Feels pretty good going into Richmond knowing that youre locked in and that you dont have to do anything special. Well just have to go see what we can do with them next week.

Could you have stayed out during the final pit stop?
You couldve, but you would have got ate up on tires. You go 300 laps and not have one right front tire failure, then tree laps to go you have one fail. It is what it is. We had trouble getting going on the restarts. If we had four or five laps, we probably would have had something for them. All in all, a good day. It was nice to get that NAPA Shocks Toyota running up front, so well move on to Richmond.

MICHAEL WALTRIP, team owner, Michael Waltrip Racing

How special is this accomplishment to your team?
Tonight is what NASCAR racing is all about. Were so disappointed that Martin (Truex Jr.) didnt win and then we have to be thankful were in the Chase and it looks like both cars are in -- or two of our three are in and another top-10 run by the Rodney Childers (crew chief) 55 car (Mark Martin). I dont know -- youre supposed to be happy when you race and you have success, but somehow we were able to rob the joy of making the Chase. I dont know how, but we did. We just thought we had it won and Jamie (McMurray) had a flat tire. There was nothing we could do about that and we didnt win.

What has the journey been like for your team to get here?
I dont like to look at the journey as having a destination today. It has one some time, but this is just a point along the way. As bad as everything looked in 07 and as good as it looks now, you just -- if youd have took a snapshot of 07 you would have quit. If you took one of now, you might be satisfied. I will never give up and I will never be satisfied. I just keep going and keep trying. Hopefully, the people that have trusted me and this team and Rob (Kauffman, co-owner) with their money will be rewarded ion the end. Im thankful. Im happy, but its just a point along the way. Were going to keep going.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 18 Wrigley Doublemint Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th

How was your race?
Overall the night was good for us, our car was fast -- we qualified up front, ran up front and stayed up there. We had a good long run car there. We ran third to sixth there most of the night so that was pretty good. There the last pit stop we just didnt have what we needed there and came out ninth. Had to pass a few cars and got by a few cars and finished sixth. Our teammate did us justice tonight and kept the 24 (Jeff Gordon) from victory lane so that was good.

What is your outlook for Richmond?
Richmond is definitely a place where we would like to go win, obviously that would really set things easy for whats going to happen in the Chase. If were not capable of winning then we need to know what else our game plan is going to be -- Im not sure what he points are right now, but Im sure everyone will figure that out.

Was your goal tonight to either win or control your destiny for the Richmond race?
For sure. If we couldnt win the race today then our goal was to run strong and finish top-five. We missed the top-five by one, felt like we could have been there and should have been there. Overall, the guys fought hard all night with the Doublemint Camry and felt like we made some good adjustments all night to keep ourselves up there so it was good.

Do you feel confident you can make the Chase?
I feel normal. Im not saying that Im for sure going to be in at all -- anything can happen. Jeff (Gordon) is no slouch at Richmond either -- he will be fine. I feel like thats the guy were racing -- the 24 car. Well just have to see how it all plays out. Jeff could give us a run for our money.

MARK MARTIN, No. 55 Aarons Dream Machine Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 10th

How was your race?
We had really a lot better race car than we finished. Its just we got set back several times. Most of them were my fault. I had a couple of really bad situations I got myself in on restarts a couple times and got us way behind.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 18th

BOBBY LABONTE, No. 47 Kingsford Toyota Camry, JTG-Daugherty Racing
Finishing Position: 19th

LANDON CASSILL, No. 83 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 20th

TRAVIS KVAPIL, No. 93 Burger King Toyota Camry, BK Racing
Finishing Position: 26th

CLINT BOWYER, No. 15 5-hour ENERGY Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing
Finishing Position: 27th

JASON LEFFLER, No. 49 America Israel Toyota Camry, America Israel Racing
Finishing Position: 38th

DAVID STREMME, No. 30 Inception Motorsports Toyota Camry, Inception Motorsports
Finishing Position: 39th

REED SORENSON, No. 91 Plinker Tactical Toyota Camry, HP Racing
Finishing Position: 42nd

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Finishing Position: 43rd

August 2012: Big Jumps Edition

Filed under: Car Buying, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, By the Numbers

Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota Post Big Gains

If you want evidence that the economy is on the mend, look no further than the string of positive monthly sales reports coming from the auto industry this year. August continues the trend with the vast majority of brands and companies reporting improved sales numbers compared to the same month last year, Volkswagen (+62.54 percent), Honda (+57.88 percent) and Toyota (+47.5 percent) leading the way for major manufacturers.

Honda and Toyota's big gains are easy to explain. Just repeat the line we've been using all summer about these two Japanese giants enjoying the fruits of restored production capacity following last year's onslaught of natural disasters in their home region. Volkswagen's big jump, however, is harder to explain, and looks to be consolidated mostly in the Passat model line where sales jumped from just 314 last August (before the midsize sedan was redesigned) to 10,090 last month. Smaller sales gains from the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Tiguan and Touareg also contributed.

Another individual model that jumped out at us while compiling the numbers is the Ford Escape. The all-new 2013 Escape is a big departure in both style and content compared to the last generation, which sold very well even into its waning months. We've been curious to know if consumers would embrace the new Escape's slicker shape and higher price. The answer is a resounding yes based on last month's sales of the new model, which totaled 28,188 units, a 36.8-percent improvement compared to last August and a number high enough to make the new Escape one of the industry's best selling models overall last month.

Check out how the entire auto industry did in the monthly sales chart below, and visit our By the Numbers section to see all past months.

*Brands and companies are displayed in descending order according to their percentage change in volume sales. There were 27 selling days in August 2012 versus 26 selling days in August 2011, so the change in monthly sales volume will be different than the change in average daily sales rate (DSR) for each brand/company. Also, brands are combined and reported as companies only if their sales figures are released jointly.

August 2012: Big Jumps Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Is Ford's Focus really the world's best-selling car this year?

Filed under: Ford, Toyota

Last week, Ford boasted that the Ford Focus was the best-selling car in the world through the first half of 2012, but Toyota fired right back claiming its compact sits in the top spot. Which automaker is correct? Well, both. Kind of.

Ford says that the Ford Focus has sold 489,616 units through June compared to 462,817 for the Toyota Corolla, and it even hired an independent firm, IHS Automotive, to calculate the sales figures. And this is where things get confusing. See, Ford sells the Focus globally under one name, but the Toyota Corolla is also sold with different body styles that carry different names... and IHS Automotive's sales figure for Toyota does not include these models. As a counterpoint to the Focus hatchback, the Corolla is also available in a five-door form carrying the Toyota Matrix and Toyota Auris names, while the Corolla Fielder is Toyota's station wagon alternative to the Ford Focus Estate. The Scion xB is sold in Australia as the Corolla Rumion.

According to an article in the Wall Street Journal, Toyota says that its Corolla-based models accounted for 603,840 through the same six-month period Ford claims its Focus was the top seller. Breaking the numbers down even further, Toyota says that the Auris and Corolla alone have managed 524,000 sales globally which is still more than Ford's Focus sales. In the U.S., the Focus has sold 147,877 units through July while the Corolla has sold 175,366 (including the Matrix).

Like a political debate, the numbers can probably be skewed in anyone's favor, and it should be just as fun to watch as the old General Motors and Toyota "we're the biggest in the world" arguments where each automaker found some obscure brand in its portfolio to add in a few thousand extra units. Regardless of which car actually hold the current top spot, though, what is for certain is that these are the two hottest cars in the world.

Is Ford's Focus really the world's best-selling car this year? originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

"Andrew gave us excellent customers service with no high pressure tactics. I appreciate that." - Tim B.

"Andrew gave us excellent customers service with no high pressure tactics. I appreciate that." - Tim B.

Vehicle Purchased: Toyota Prius C
Salesman: Andrew Baker

"Very Time Efficient" - Finis C.

"I bought a 2011 Camry last year and was very satisfied with it. I came here again because I have been very satisfied with the Service Center here. They are very time efficient." -Finis C.

Vehicle Sold: 2012 Camry LE
Salesman: Andrew Baker

Monday, September 3, 2012

Great job today to James and the staff at Hudson

Great job today to James and the staff at Hudson! My wife an I live 2+ hours away and they went above and beyond to make our trip worth while! Great service, great price! They may have hooked me for life! Thanks again! It actually felt like we mattered to them.
http://www.dealerrater.com/dealer/Hudson-Toyota-review-35145/##r777578

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Toyota readying Intellitouch touchpad controllers?

Filed under: Technology, Toyota

2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid - front three-quarter view

"Intellitouch" is the name Toyota will apparently use to refer to a new electronic control scheme it is developing. That's according to Car and Driver, which has spotted the name in a new Toyota trademark application. According to the submission, the name refers to "electronic touch sensitive controllers, sold as an integral part of motor vehicles."

C/D speculates that for Toyota to bother developing a brand name, there must be more to the new gadgets than just touchscreen navigation. In fact, the magazine thinks Toyota is gearing up for Intellitouch to compete with Cadillac's Cue and Ford's MyFordTouch and their capacitive touch switchgear. The control setup could also be similar to the gesture-based touchpad systems already offered by Audi and shortly, by BMW.

Another Toyota trademark filing is for "EBIN," a wireless charging system for personal electronics. While inductive chargers have been around for a while, several automakers are rushing to include them in upcoming models. General Motors recently trademarked the name, "Dockspot" for its version.

Toyota readying Intellitouch touchpad controllers? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota sales rebound to reclaim spot as world's largest automaker

Filed under: Car Buying, Europe, Japan, Toyota

Toyota has pushed ahead of General Motors and Volkswagen as the world's largest automaker in the first half of 2012.

According to a new Bloomberg report, the 4.9 million units sold by the Japanese automaker in the first six months of 2012 represents an impressive 34-percent jump. Toyota's sales beat out GM by 300,000 units and VW by 520,000.

Still, The General's sales were up 2.9 percent to 4.67 million vehicles sold, while Volkswagen moved 4.45 units, an 8.9 percent increase. While Toyota has enjoyed success in its top markets, North America and Japan, GM and VW have struggled with the economic crisis in Europe.

The Japanese automaker was able to accomplish this even in the wake of the disastrous tsunami in its home market and flooding that occurred in Thailand. According to IHS Automotive market analyst Rebecca Lindland, the strong start may be followed by a downturn in momentum: "they are still restocking dealerships, pulling in consumers who may have waited... but that positive impact will trail off as the year progresses."

Toyota previously took the top spot as the largest global automaker from GM back in 2008 amidst the American financial crisis, but General Motors reclaimed that title in the wake of Japan's natural disasters.

Toyota sales rebound to reclaim spot as world's largest automaker originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Jul 2012 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, July 21, 2012

Toyota dumps four-cylinder Sienna for 2013, details other MY changes

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Toyota

The four-cylinder Toyota Sienna is officially a thing of the past. Toyota has opted to ditch the minivan's entry-level 2.7-liter engine, thereby making the 266-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 standard equipment. The move makes some sense, as the entry-level four cylinder didn't really manage better fuel economy - the 187-hp powertrain managed 19 miles per gallon city and 24 highway, whereas the V6 gets 18/25.

Buyers can look forward to a few small changes for the 2013 model year, including easier-to-clean fabrics on LE trim as well as an eight-way power adjustable driver's seat and four-way power passenger throne. LE guise also delivers three-zone climate control with individual control for the driver, passenger and rear seats. Stepping up to Limited trim will net consumers a standard Blind Spot Monitor, though the tech may also be had on SE and XLE versions as an individual option.

Prices have jumped up a bit, starting with the base Sienna at $25,450, or $1,390 more than the 2012 model. Toyota says that on average, prices have increased by around $466 over all trims. The topped-out Sienna all-wheel drive Limited tips the wallet at $41,240 before tacking on any additional options. Check out the press release below.

Continue reading Toyota dumps four-cylinder Sienna for 2013, details other MY changes

Toyota dumps four-cylinder Sienna for 2013, details other MY changes originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 16 Jul 2012 11:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Cars.com reveals American Made index for 2012

Filed under: Sedan, Truck, Ford, Honda, Toyota

Put on your flag shorts and Liberty Bell hat. Cars.com has released its American-Made Index, proclaiming that four out of the top five American-made vehicles are Japanese brands.

The Toyota Camry, built in Kentucky, was ranked the most American vehicle sold today, with the Michigan-built Ford F-150 coming in as the second-most American vehicle. The Honda Accord, Toyota Sienna and Honda Pilot round out the top five. And yes, all of these models are available in red, white or blue.

Cars.com's criteria for selecting the most American vehicle includes sales volume, percentage of American sourced parts and where the vehicle is assembled. Vehicles must have at least 75 percent domestic parts to even qualify for the list, which kept the F-150 off last year.

However, the accounting system devised by Cars.com was called "flawed" by the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents Detroit's car makers in Washington D.C.

"The truth is: Three of the 16 major automakers doing business in the U.S. - Chrysler, Ford and GM - produce more than half the cars assembled here, use twice as many U.S. parts per vehicle than their competitors, are headquartered in the U.S. and employ two-thirds of America's autoworkers," said former Missouri Governor Matt Blunt, current president of the AAPC.

Nothing like using July 4 for political grandstanding.

Cars.com reveals American Made index for 2012 originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, June 25, 2012

Hudson Toyota Sponsors Tradewater Pirates Game

HOPKINS COUNTY (6/20/12) – Last week, SurfKY News posted an update regarding Jasmine “Jazzy” Larkins' 7th birthday wish. Jazzy decided that she didn’t want presents and cake for her birthday this year. Her one birthday request was to obtain 101 pairs of shoes to donate to children in need.

Along with her mother Stephanie's help, Jazzy has been collecting shoes for an organization called Soles 4 Souls, a group whose mission is to collect shoes and distribute them to those in need all across the globe.

Since SurfKY News first reported on Jazzy’s gracious request on May 18th, Jazzy has received an outpouring of support from the community. She has received over 160 pairs of shoes in drop boxes located in Henderson, Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Owensboro. Not only that, but businesses have been offering their help as well. Stephanie was contacted by Stikii, a company based out of Toledo, Ohio, that was so touched by Jazzy’s request that they too donated shoes towards the cause.

“Jazzy has inspired us to get involved with other shoe drives to help those in need,” said Stikii’s Director of Business Development Hal Yaffe. “In the history of Stikii she will always be our first charity shoe drive.”

Jazzy Larkins and Hudson Toyota Professional Bass Angler Rusty Strange (Above)

Hudson Toyota of Madisonville was inspired by Jazzy’s birthday wish as well, and reached out to offer their support by becoming a collection point for donated shoes. On Wednesday, June the 20th, Hudson Toyota announced that anyone who dropped off a donated pair of shoes at their dealership would receive a complimentary ticket to the Tradewater Pirates baseball game on Saturday, June the 23rd. The Pirates went head to head with the Hoptown Hoppers at 7 p.m. last Saturday night at Elmer Kelley Stadium at the Madisonville City Park. Furthermore, Jazzy threw the first pitch while eighteen of her family members supported her from the stands.

Monday, May 28, 2012

BERNSTEIN LEADS TOYOTA AS GREMLINS RULE THE DAY IN TOPEKA

BERNSTEIN LEADS TOYOTA AS GREMLINS RULE THE DAY IN TOPEKA

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 20, 2012) In an often bizarre day of racing, Brandon Bernstein advanced to the Top Fuel semi-finals to lead Toyota in Sundays NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series Dollar General Summernationals at Heartland Park Topeka.

With drastically changing wind and weather conditions, the days racing action appeared to focus not on who was the fastest, but simply who could make it down the Kansas track. In fact, the second and third rounds of Top Fuel combined to see just one dragster able to make a clean pass. Unfortunately, those gremlins extended to the Toyota contingent as well.

Ironically, the day began with Toyota driver Morgan Lucas running a blistering 3.745-second pass (third-quickest in NHRA history) to establish a new track record as early times bettered those seen in qualifying. He would then square off with his Morgan Lucas Racing teammate Bernstein, who ran an impressive 3.787 opening round run to set up what appeared to be an epic battle between the two drivers who had led four of the five Top Fuel sessions up to that point. The result would be both drivers spinning their tires and Bernstein advancing to the semi-finals by a matter of inches in a pedal-fest with a 4.267-second pass.

After advancing to the semi-finals for the second race in a row, Bernsteins day came to an abrupt end when his car broke while preparing to stage and he was unable to attempt a semi-final run.

Gremlins seemed to stretch throughout the Toyota camp to both number one qualifiers, as well. Antron Brown red-lighted in the second round of Top Fuel, while Cruz Pedregon appeared to have point leader Robert Hight beat in the second round in when his Funny Car suddenly veered across the center line just before the 1,000-foot mark, disqualifying Pedregon and his 4.14-second run from competition.

Rounding out the Toyota contingent, Alexis DeJoria, Jeff Arend and Tony Pedregon each were eliminated in the opening round of Funny Car. None of the three were able to make a clean pass as the changing weather conditions played havoc with the Funny Car field. This weekend marked Pedregons first race campaigning the new 2012 Toyota Camry Funny Car body. Shawn Langdon and Khalid alBalooshi also were eliminated in the first round of Top Fuel as Langdon was unable to complete a clean run, while alBalooshi was defeated narrowly by Lucas despite running the second-lowest ET of the weekend and a career-best 3.768-second pass.

The NHRA Full Throttle Drag Racing Series resumes in two weeks at the Toyota SuperNationals in Englishtown, New Jersey, June 1-3. The race will mark the first-ever NHRA event where Toyota serves as title sponsor.

Toyota Drivers, Results Topeka, Qualified/Finish

Top Fuel:
Brandon Bernstein, Lucas Oil/MavTV Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, 3/Semi-finals
Antron Brown, Matco Tools Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, 1/Rd. 2
Morgan Lucas, GEICO Powersports/Lucas Oil Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, 6/Rd. 2
Shawn Langdon, Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, 4/Rd. 1
Khalid alBalooshi, Al-Anabi Racing Toyota Top Fuel Dragster, 11/Rd. 1

Funny Car:
Cruz Pedregon, Snap-On Tools Toyota Camry Solara Funny Car, 1/Rd. 2
Alexis DeJoria, Patron Toyota Camry Funny Car, 11/Rd. 1
Jeff Arend, DHL Toyota Camry Solara, 13/Rd. 1
Tony Pedregon, Herzog Toyota Camry Funny Car, 14/Rd. 1

2012 Wins (3) Brown, Phoenix; Lucas, Gainesville, Houston

2012 Poles (9) Lucas (3) Pomona, Gainesville, Las Vegas, Houston; Langdon, Phoenix; Brown, Topeka; C. Pedregon (3) Gainesville, Houston, Topeka

QUOTES:

Brandon Bernstein, Lucas Oil/MavTV Toyota Top Fuel dragster: "The team did a hell of a job. The MAVTV car was just great all weekend. It just felt like it was our weekend, unfortunately it wasn't. We really thought we had the car to beat. It's just unfortunate it broke when it did. It could have just as easily happened at any point during the weekend. It's really disappointing and unfortunate that it happened when it did. We wanted a win. And of course to add insult to injury, Dave (Grubnic semi-final opponent) smoked the tires on his run. I knew that was coming. It's now two races in a row where we've gone to the semi-finals. Both of those races were there for us to win. It's put a lot of confidence into the guys. They know we've got a great race car and we'll keep plugging at it until we break through for that win."

Morgan Lucas, Geico Powersports/Lucas Oil Toyota Top Fuel dragster: "This is the best both our cars have ever run, easily. It's good to have that feeling that this is the best car I've ever had. Plus, we got to do something that no one else has even been able to do, which is a nice consolation to end the weekend with. We made a lot of progress that first round. We threw down an awesome run, but in the second round the track just went away on everybody. We thought we'd peeled the motor back enough. Both of us smoked the tires in the same spot, and I just got beat by the better driver. I'm proud it was the guy we hired to drive our second car because Brandon is doing just an awesome job. I got a little excited and probably could have pedaled my car a lot better. I could have been a little smoother with that. At the time I did what I thought was right, and it wasn't. All you can do is learn from that mistake."

Antron Brown, Matco Tools/Toyota Top Fuel Dragster: "We always qualify well here. I just pushed the envelope too much. It taught me a lesson. Sometime you have to be reminded not to push so hard. This is a racetrack that we just want to win at real bad. I just hate losing, it doesn't matter how. I didn't need to go up there and push it like I did. I have all the confidence in our team that all I have to do is my job. Just trying to press too hard, I know better.

Cruz Pedregon, Snap-on Tools Toyota Camry Funny Car: Looks like we got some oil on our left tire and it flat out got away from me. I feel bad for the team. We made the right calls today, though. We just need to come back strong at Englishtown and get it right.

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AMERICAS BEST-SELLING CAR TUNED UP FOR 2013 NASCAR SEASON

AMERICAS BEST-SELLING CAR TUNED UP FOR 2013 NASCAR SEASON

Camry Race Car Now Shares More Similarities to Production Sibling

SALISBURY, N.C. (May 22, 2012) -- Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. (TMS) and TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) today formally introduced the new 2013 Toyota Camry that will compete in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) beginning next season at TRDs Salisbury, N.C. facility.

The introduction of the new 2013 Camry for NASCAR competition marked the culmination of an aggressive redesign to provide the 2013 Camry with an updated and more-unique identity. TRD worked together with Calty Design, part of Toyotas global network design team, to create an on-track Camry that incorporates design elements which give Americas best-selling car its distinct character.

Were thrilled to finally unveil our new 2013 Camry and we think NASCAR fans will really appreciate that our new on-track Camry looks like the one in their driveways, said Ed Laukes, TMS vice president of marketing communications and motorsports. Our 2013 Camry looks more like the production vehicle than ever before, and we hope this helps revitalize the long-standing relationship between fans and manufacturers in NASCAR. Never before have we had a Camry competing in NASCAR that looked so similar to its production counterpart.

A new front grill-area that matches the production model, distinct character lines down the side of the vehicle and an updated rear bumper make the redesigned 2013 Camry stock car more relevant than ever before to its showroom sibling.

Were extremely proud of the new Camry and the development of the car was truly a unique process, said Lee White, president and general manager of TRD. NASCAR and all four manufacturers were brought together to guide the direction of the new cars. We all worked together to put the S back in NASCAR -- we all wanted race cars that look more like our stock, production models -- and together we accomplished that. Our new Camry for 2013 is a great looking race car. Everyone at Toyota is eager to have our drivers in a race car that more resembles the street Camry.

For 10 straight years, and 14 of the past 15 years, the Toyota Camry has been the best-selling car in America. Built at Toyota manufacturing facilities in Georgetown, Kentucky and Lafayette, Indiana, the 2012 Toyota Camry was recently named the Best Redesigned Vehicle by Kelley Blue Book. In addition, the Camry has been named the Most American Car by Cars.coms American-Made Index for three consecutive years.

In an effort to create more distinct and stock vehicles for the race track, NASCAR worked together with the four series manufacturers to determine what areas were either locked in or open for unique design. NASCAR also allowed for the exchange of glass for solid body pieces.

When everyone at Toyota first saw the design of the 2013 Camry, the first reaction was, Theyre actually going to let you race a car that looks like that?, said Andy Graves, TRDs vice president of chassis engineering. That just demonstrates how excited everyone was about the new design of the Camry stock car.

The new 2013 Toyota Camry will make its NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Daytona International Speedways Speedweeks in February.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.64 million vehicles in 2011. Toyota directly employs over 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.

About TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development)

Powering all of Toyotas American racing programs is TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) in Costa Mesa, Calif., and Salisbury, N.C. A subsidiary of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., TRD serves as the North American racing arm for design, development and assembly of Toyotas factory racing engines and chassis. TRD powers Toyotas racing activities in NASCAR, NHRA and USAC, among other series.

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TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) - Post-Race Notes & Quotes - Charlotte Motor Speedway

TOYOTA NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) - Post-Race Notes & Quotes - Charlotte Motor Speedway

Denny Hamlin (second) was the highest finishing Camry driver in Saturdays NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Camry drivers Kyle Busch (third) and Joey Logano (sixth) also recorded top-10 finishes on the 1.5-mile track.

Logano led three times for a total of 26 laps (of 200) after starting from the pole at the North Carolina race track. Camry driver Jason Bowles also led one lap in the event.

Other Toyota drivers in the field included Mike Bliss (12th), Tayler Malsam (20th), Travis Pastrana (24th), Joe Nemechek (29th), Brian Scott (31st), Jeff Green (32nd), Jason Bowles (33rd) and Kevin Lepage (43rd).

DENNY HAMLIN, No. 20 Sport Clips Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 2nd

How was your race today?
Its a good points day -- the owners points for these guys. Just fought this car all day long. Fought everything about it -- the entry, the center and the exit and the motor. Just didnt have that great of a car. We were able to get it good enough at the end to run those guys down. Proud of our effort. This is a great run for this Sport Clips Toyota. I want to get these guys a win. I keep talking about it because we keep finishing second, but eventually well knock down the door.

What happened with the motor?
I complained about the motor early -- just didnt feel like it ran at the end of the straightaway for some odd reason. Ive been wondering where our speed was all weekend. We tried to change the carburetors and that didnt fix it. Just got stuck 14th or so for a while until we got the handling until it was at least drivable and then we were able to make our move to the front. We were good on long runs -- just didnt have a lot of front line speed. I have to get better at our race day adjustments -- I just feel like Im sending our crew chief off in the wrong direction at the start of these races.

How do you recover and prepare for tomorrows 600-mile race?
Theres certain meals you can take that keep fluids in your body a little bit better. Theres different fluids you can take that keeps your hydration level up. Ive been testing stuff like that for the last three or four years -- taking my heart rate from like 160 on average during a race to like 130 just trying different fluids and different meals. Weve scienced that out a little bit and I feel like I have a good team around me to help with the hydration stuff. All is good as far as thats concerned.

KYLE BUSCH, No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota Camry, Kyle Busch Motorsports
Finishing Position: 3rd

Does this finish help the confidence of your race team?
It was a really good race for us -- coming home third is pretty good for our Monster Energy Camry. The guys have worked really hard at trying to make our program better and getting it to where it needs to be. I thought we were gaining on the 22 (Brad Keselowski) there and then all of the sudden my right front (tire) went away. I just used it too hard and pushed it too much there. It was a solid effort -- cant say enough about Mike Beam (crew chief) and all these guys. They have done a nice job at getting these cars better and better each and every week. This is a top-three for us at a mile-and-a-half, so cant be too mad about that.

How did your car handle?
Our Monster Energy Camry was fast and through the early stages of the race it just seemed like wed really struggle with too tight up off the corners and as the run would go along it would really get bad. The last run of the race, we came down pit road for fuel only there after we had just taken rights (tires) so our lefts were pretty old and we made some adjustments -- track bar and wedge and really seemed to work for us. Brought the car to running up front like that and had some faster lap times and kept the right front tire on it longer at least and we could run with the leader. I just wasted too much time with Kasey Kahne there -- he was running me hard and trying to hold us off there at the end for the start of the last run. The leader got too far away and cut about half the distance out and was never able to close much more than that. I just burned the right front off like I had all race long. At least it was later in this run. Were making gains on it. Well just keep working hard and getting it to where we need to be.

Do you think you could have gone as far as the 22 car on fuel?
No, theres no way our stuff would have done that. Thats definitely different, but I guess anything is possible sometimes. Maybe they saved really hard under cautions and everything. I dont think we could have pushed it like that.

JOEY LOGANO, No. 18 GameStop Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 6th

What happened with your tire strategy?
It didnt play out the way it was supposed to. It didnt play out right according to a sixth-place finish. We were just talking -- maybe had a third-place car. Its just we tried to -- we tried a little different strategy and when youre up front there its kind of hard to know what everyone else is doing. We did fuel only and then we -- if the run went more than 10 laps, we would have been alright. It went 10 laps, so then we took four tires and we went back to 12th or 15th or whatever it was. We had to work our way back up, so just needed a longer race to recover from what we screwed up with in the beginning. Overall got a pole today, so thats good. Just wish we were a little bit faster. We werent quite quick enough to win the race anyways, but I feel like we had a third place car for sure.

Are you pleased with your finish?
Well still take it for sure, but I just felt like we were faster than that. We knew we were a third-place car all day. We led some laps -- we were up front there for a while. Just strategy got us. We had the wrong strategy. It bit us and we went back to 15th and we had to work our way back up there with only 50 (laps) to go -- didnt have enough time. It felt like a long enough race, but didnt have time still. Its hard to recover in short Nationwide races. If you make a mistake, you cant recover quick enough -- theres not enough time. Its kind of part of our sport.

MIKE BLISS, No. 44 Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 12th

TAYLER MALSAM, No. 19 G-Oil Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 20th

TRAVIS PASTRANA, No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota Camry, RAB Racing with Brack Maggard
Finishing Position: 24th

JOE NEMECHEK, No. 87 AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet Stoves Toyota Camry, NEMCO Motorsports
Finishing Position: 29th

BRIAN SCOTT, No. 11 Dollar General Toyota Camry, Joe Gibbs Racing
Finishing Position: 31st

How was your race car before the accident?
We had a really strong Dollar General Camry today. We just got our last pit stop done and we were good on fuel. I was trying to get everything I could on the restart, but they just didnt do a very good job cleaning the track. I saw the oil right before I hit it. As soon as I hit it the car just went sideways on me and washed out. Unfortunately, we wrecked a fast race car. We had a car capable of running in the top-five and maybe with one more adjustment and a set of tires we could have contended for a win. Now were done.

JEFF GREEN, No. 14 Hefty/Reynolds Wrap Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 32nd

JASON BOWLES, No. 81 American Majority Toyota Camry, MacDonald Motorsports
Finishing Position: 33rd

KEVIN LEPAGE, No. 10 Toyota Camry, TriStar Motorsports
Finishing Position: 43rd

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