As of Aug. 13, car dealerships had not been paid by the government for any Cash for Clunker sales yet, which many Managers believe is due to a lack of government employees processing reimbursement claims. Many Toyota Dealerships, as well as other dealers, are getting tired of waiting for their money. As of Aug. 12, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had 225 employees processing claims. The organization was working to increase their staff, with a goal of eventually having 1,000 people processing claims. 
   

“The early intentions were good. They were trying to help us. This program was used in some other countries and supposedly worked well,” Bryan Sheehy said. Despite the headaches, Sheehy said he believes the program has helped business somewhat. 
   

 ”Working with this program should get better hopefully before the program is over,” Sheehy said. 
   

“It’s increased business and brought people in that probably wouldn’t have bought a car before, and it’s getting junk off the road,” Imoehl said. 
   

Imoehl admits that the program does require a lot of paperwork and is time consuming, with deals taking about 1/2 an hour to process, but he is pleased with the program overall. 
  

The program was set to run through Nov. 1 or until $3 billion in federal money that has been put into the program runs out. As of Aug. 13, Imoehl was down to 22 cars on his lot, significantly lower than the average of 60 new cars usually on the lot.     

Imoehl said customers who are interested in taking advantage of the CARS incentive, should act fast. 
   

“If they’re in the market, the sooner the better because dealers are running out of vehicles and manufacturers can’t produce them fast enough,” Imoehl said.

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The new ‘Cash for Clunkers’ plan was a big hit when it opened a week ago Friday. Cash for Clunkers was the #1 search word on Google. But it was too big of a hit; it might seem for the government. The six month supply of money that was used to pay back the dealerships was gone within the week. Nobody anticipated this to be so popular. Congress is trying to get another 2 billion to pay back the dealerships, but no money has been granted yet.

On the first day of Cash for Clunkers, Dealers all around the country received the rules of the program.  The Clunker must be drivable and has to be continuously insured and registered to you for one year. Trade in cars must get no more than 18 miles to the gallon. The Dealer is destroying your old car. And the Dealer’s retail price for the trade it cannot except $45,000.

On the first weekend, dealerships saw a 20% – 30% increase in new car sales. But, as they went in to submit the information required to get the refund, they found the website constantly down due to the overload of people using the website. It is still this way today.

The top car model that was traded in over the past couple of weeks was the 1998 Ford Explorer. In a close second and third is the 1997 and 1996 models. The Toyota Corolla and Prius are numbers three and four in top cars to trade in for.

If you have a 1984-89 model year vehicle, please check the CARS Vehicle Eligibility Guide to determine whether your vehicle meets the eligibility requirements.

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Toyota Motor Corp. just managed to retain the top spot in global auto sales for the first six months of this year, although it came under pressure from General Motors Corp., which did better than its Japanese rival in the April-June quarter.

Toyota said Tuesday that it sold 3.56 million vehicles worldwide in the six months ended June. The number includes vehicles sold by Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd.

The sales result was slightly above the 3.55 million vehicles sold by GM, which relinquished the overall No. 1 position to Toyota last year. GM is unlikely to outsell Toyota in the July-September quarter. Toyota will still continue to be going strong, as with the increase in Genuine Toyota Parts.

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GM has made many new changes to have a fresh comeback from its recent bankruptcy. Other then the Chairman change, GM has made many other changes. The number of U.S. brands has dropped from eight to four. The remaining brands include Buick, Cadillac, Chevy, and GMC. The number of employees has dropped considerably. Of the 81,000 employees in 2008, only 63,500 are left. More money is now being spent on future products and technology. The consolidated debt has dropped considerably since last year. It went from a total of $74.4 billion to a mere $17.3 billion.

GM still has a long way to go to fully recover, but this is a great first start to begin their recovery.

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The newly appointed Toyota team is here to make changes that will affect all Toyota dealers in the future. The changes are to make the dealers more successful in the business and to create a more efficient profit.

One of these changes include cutting than lineup. Small Cars are becoming more and more popular, and the bigger vehicles are becoming obsolete. Throwing out the bigger models that don’t match local demand will cut down expenses. The third generation Prius price is dropping to stay competitive with Honda’s Insight.

Toyota isn’t planning on closing its factories to cut costs. They plan on slowing down production times, overtime, and shift work while making genuine Toyota parts and cars.

With these small changes, Toyota is projecting a recovery in two or three years.

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Everyone is talking about the new “Cash for Guzzlers” plan. But, nobody seems to know all the details. Here is the run-down for the program:

§  The Dealer registers for the “Cash for Guzzlers” program

§  The Consumer trades in for a qualifying car

§  Government Credit is deducted from the purchase price of the new card

§  The amount you receive is dependent on the improvement in fuel economy. For a car, if the improvement is 4 mpg or more, you are eligible for a $3,500 credit. For more than a ten mpg improvement, your credit would be $4,500

The cars that are traded in are picked apart to collect the usable parts, and then the car is destroyed. We aren’t sure how many Toyota cars will be turned in with this plan. They would collect the usable Genuine Toyota parts, and then be crushed.

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The new and improved Chrysler as made many new improvements to their company, including its name. The new name is Chrysler Group LLC. Some of the other many changes to Chrysler include the CEO and Chairman, the number of dealerships, number of assembly plants, the number of the different types of cars, and the Sales in the US.

The numbers of dealerships have been reduced by about 900. Only 2,392 remain in the US. There are 9 assembly plants in the US, Mexico, and Canada. There were 12 as of January 1^st, 2009. The numbers of models that Chrysler sells have reduced. There were 23 models in 2009, now they only have 20. The three dropped models will be replaced with the Fiat 500 and a few other Fiat-based nameplates in the next couple years.

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Toyota has announced its new on-board telematics program called Safety Connect.  The system comprises four major security features that include the following:

Automatic Collision Notification (ACN)

The ACN automatically calls the Toyota response center if a head-on collision occurs. The Safety Connect response center gets the ID and location of the vehicle using a GPS system, and the response agent can directly communicate with the driver. If the driver is not able to respond, the agent assumes an emergency and notifies the Public Safety Answering Point nearest to the vehicle – providing necessary help.

Emergency Assistance Button (SOS)

24-hour emergency support is only a press away with the SOS button. If the Automatic Collision Notification fails, any passenger can use this button to notify Toyota’s specialized call center.

Stolen Vehicle Location (SVL)

Using cellular signals and GPS, Safety Connect can track down the location of a stolen vehicle. The Safety Connect subscriber only needs to report the call center regarding the theft of his/her vehicle after making a police report

Roadside Assistance

The Toyota Safety Connect response center is ready to provide assistance 24/7. From towing problems to jump-start issues, you can ask for technical help by pressing the SOS button. The new technology will be available in selective Toyota models by 2010. With Safety Connect, Toyota strengthens the bond with its customers while ensuring enhanced reliability.

The Safety Connect feature is available in most 2010 models. They are available in every truck model and in most cars. Just walk into your local Toyota dealer and ask if it’s available in the Toyota Parts section in the store. This safety feature could possibly save your life in a dangerous situation.

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The Original Equipment Suppliers Association (OESA) and Motor & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA) were lobbying for 8 to 10 billion in loan guarantees that they said were necessary for them to get the financing they require to keep producing parts without interruption. They also need these loans to help them cope with the bankruptcies of General Motors and Chrysler.

These associations met with members of the Obama administration’s auto task force and lawmakers last week to discuss the loans.

They warned 49 major suppliers would close in 2009, with another 60 suppliers likely to follow in 2010. The collapse of GM and Chrysler, along with the drop in U.S. auto sales, has left U.S. vehicle production near an annual rate of eight million vehicles, a huge difference from last year

“There are a number of parts manufacturers that are virtually on the edge of being pushed into a Chapter 11 (bankruptcy) situation,” says Bob McKenna, president and CEO of MEMA. “And on the other hand, when business picks up, you’ve got to have money to invest in building those products to satisfy the market. But in an environment where nobody is lending money, particularly to the automotive industry, it’s pretty tough.”

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Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) announced that, as part of its social contribution activities, it will hold the 28^th Toyota Lobby Concert on the first floor lobby of the Tokyo Head Office in Bunko Ward, Tokyo. It is planned for July 30, and it will feature the instumental ensemble Tsukemen, which includes two violinists and a pianist.

The Toyota Lobby Concert aims to provide nearby residents and people in nursing homes a chance to listen to a live performance. Since 1995, volunteers, with help from the local community, organize these concerts

At the concert, the Toyota Volunteer Center will accept redeemable items * i.e. used stamps or phone cards *.The proceeds of these donations will help provide scholership aid to children in Thailand, Laos, and Japan. This will promote a greater social understanding of people with mental disabilities and people in nursing homes.

Thanks to all the Toyota dealers who are willing to donate items for this event. With their sales of cars and genuine toyota parts, it is lucky to have these donations.

TMC is providing 400 complimentery tickets to those residents in the local nursing homes and to the general public. To apply for a ticket, please visit http://www.toyota.co.jp/lobby_concert/.

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