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Toyota

The COVID-19 pandemic over the past two years brought industries to a standstill in 2020 as lockdowns were initiated in many countries. Then, as things seemed to get better in 2021, a global shortage of microprocessors (as well as other parts) slowed production, especially of motor vehicles.

Nevertheless, in spite of having tough challenges to overcome and growing waiting lists of customers, the leading automotive brands still saw their brand values rise in 2021. In the Best Global Brands 2022 listing released by US brand consultancy Interbrand, the top 10 brand leaders in the auto sector remained largely unchanged, with increased values last year.

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UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) is inviting Malaysian children to share their ideas on the future of mobility by dreaming up and drawing their ideal car. The best submissions will be entered for the 16th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest which will be held in 2023 in Japan.

Since 2013, Malaysia has been among the many countries participating in the global drawing competition held by Toyota. While inspiring creativity among the next generation through their art, the competition aims to motivate children from all corners of the globe to visualise the future of mobility.

For the 16th edition of the contest, the theme is ‘Your Dream Car’ and is open to children in three age categories – 7 years old and under; 8 – 11 years old; and 12 – 15 years old. Each country will first run a national contest and for Malaysia, this will be from October 31, 2022 to February 14, 2023. The top three entries in each category will then be entered for the World Contest evaluation to be held in Japan in 2023.

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An updated Toyota GR Supra GT4 racing car for the 2023 season is now available, offering enhanced braking, handling and engine performance. The new car has been developed by TOYOTA GAZOO Racing drawing extensively on customer and driver feedback since its first full racing season in 2020.

To date, the GR Supra GT4 has won championships in three regions (Japan, USA and Europe) and has earned over 100 podium finishes. More than 50 GR Supra GT4s have been running in national and international GT4 championships and in August this year, the sportscar celebrated its 50th class win in a major championship.

With competition within the popular GT4 category intensifying, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has carried out further development of the GR Supra GT4 to offer an EVO update for the coming season. Close  cooperation with its GT4 teams and drivers helped set specific targets for the upgrade. From the feedback and inputs, the engineers focused their efforts on three key areas: brakes, handling and engine.

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With the completion of the Rally de Espana recently, and a win by Sebastien Ogier, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team won its third World Rally Championship (WRC) Manufacturers title. The Manufacturers title follows the Drivers and Co-drivers titles that were won by Kalle Rovanpera and Jonne Halttunen on the previous rally in New Zealand.

This is the second year in a row that the team has managed a clean sweep of the three top titles. In total, this is the sixth occasion that Toyota has topped the WRC’s Manufacturers’ classification, the third time since it returned to the series in 2017.

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Toyota’s second model in its bZ battery electric vehicle (BEV) range is the bZ3, and it has been developed for the Chinese market using a different approach to product development. This approach has involved two other companies – BYD Company Ltd and FAW Toyota Motor.

Each company is a leader in its own field: Toyota in automobiles, BYD in batteries and FAW Toyota having the production facilities and network coverage across China. Over 100 Toyota engineers from the design, production, engineering, and quality control departments participated in the development, working together with engineers from BYD and FAW Toyota.

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At long last, UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has launched the Toyota Veloz, a crossover MPV that takes over from the Avanza in the B-segment. The Veloz is a notch higher with a more premium image than the Avanza, reflecting Toyota’s ongoing aim of delivering ever better cars.

It’s no secret that the new Veloz is a similar model to the new Perodua Alza and it is even assembled in the same factory near Rawang, Selangor. It isn’t the first time UMWT is using Perodua’s factory also assembled the first Avanza as well as the Rush. It’s a practical approach when the model is similar as there is no point duplicating assembly for a smaller volume at another plant.

Shared models are nothing new in the industry and have been a practice for many decades. In earlier years, the sharing was usually between different brands of the same manufacturer. However, as model development grew much more expensive, it made sense to collaborate and share the costs. The advantages in this include cost-savings in many parts as the suppliers can have orders with bigger volumes for the same part or system.

However, the Veloz does cost more to Malaysian consumers at RM95,000, compared to the Perodua model which has a price range of RM62,500 to RM75,500. That the Veloz costs more than the Alza will raise the question of why anyone would want to pay more for what is essentially the same product. This is where brand preference and loyalty come in and while Perodua is the market leader in Malaysia, Toyota is also a strong brand with a longer history in the market. Interbrand’s assessment of brand value for 2021 placed Toyota at the top of the list among carmakers and seventh among all companies worldwide.

Now that we’ve got that point out of the way, let’s look at what the Veloz offers. Only one variant is available so they’ve loaded it with everything and customers won’t need to make a choice of which variant to buy. But they will have to choose one of 5 body colours, two of which have a black roof.

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Authorised Toyota dealerships are now accepting bookings for an updated Toyota Harrier which will soon be launched in Malaysia by UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT). The current generation has been in the market since February 2021 and now gets an improved look and feel.

The new Harrier, with a Dynamic Force 2-litre engine, will be available in Luxury and Special Edition versions and a choice of 5 exterior colours – Slate Grey Metallic, Precious Black, Steel Blonde Metallic, Dark Blue Metallic and Platinum White Pearl – with the Special Edition having an exclusive Metallic Red finish. The on-the-road price without insurance will be from RM274,000.

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An intensely-contested race for the finale of Season 5 of the Vios Challenge, part of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival) was expected and that was precisely what took place at the Sepang International Circuit. In the final showdown, the overall championship title in all four classes of racing would be decided in the very final 20-lap race

The fierce competition was understandable as the Vios Challenge, a series now well established in Malaysian motorsport, is the most lucrative motorsports event in the country. More than a half a million ringgit in prize money is offered and the overall champions of the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes this year would take home RM70,000 and RM50,000, respectively.

As in previous seasons, the weekend’s race (as well as activities) were streamed live and according to UMW Toyota Motor, a record-high 3.1 million online viewers and race fans tuned in to watch.

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Although night racing has a different atmosphere with artificial lighting providing illumination of the track instead of sunshine, the action is no less intense. And with the Vios Challenge, the highlight of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing (TGR) Festival, ending its fifth season this weekend, there is even more determined racing as drivers aim to collect valuable points in the last two races of the one-make series at the Sepang International Circuit.

The Vios Challenge, a series now well established in Malaysian motorsport, is the most lucrative motorsports event in the country, with more than a half a million ringgit in prize money offered. The overall champions of the Super Sporting and Sporting Classes will take home RM70,000 and RM50,000, respectively. So there’s a lot of incentive to do well!

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The Toyota Eco Youth (TEY) programme in Malaysia has been one of the most enduring programs, having been run without fail each year from 2001. Organized annually by UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) in collaboration with the Malaysian Ministry of Education, the TEY programme has created among Malaysian youth awareness of the importance of preserving the environment and cultivating good habits to achieve that goal.

Theme for 2022
This year, it will have the theme of ‘Championing Mobility’ which ties in with Toyota’s ongoing commitment towards paving the way forward as a mobility company that supports the creation of more independent, safe, and eco-friendly mobility solutions.

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