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Making an Impact: Toyota Women Recognized for Industry Leadership

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Manufacturing Institute honors three workers with 2024 Women MAKE Awards

WASHINGTON (April 23, 2024) – On April 18, three Toyota manufacturing leaders acquired nationwide recognition on the Women MAKE Awards in Washington, D.C. The honorees have been amongst 130 excellent girls leaders acknowledged by the Manufacturing Institute for delivering management within the business and making contributions to the communities wherein they dwell.

The MAKE Awards (previously generally known as the STEP Ahead Awards) acknowledge girls game-changers and establish prime expertise in manufacturing, and additional encourage award winners to mentor and help the subsequent technology of feminine expertise to pursue fashionable manufacturing careers.

“There has never been a better time for young women to pursue opportunities in modern manufacturing,” mentioned Toyota Senior Vice President of Electric Vehicle Supply and incoming Women MAKE Awards Vice Chair Susan Elkington. “As a previous Honoree, I know the power of this program to motivate and mentor the next generation, and I am excited to continue to be part of this initiative highlighting the amazing Women who MAKE America.”

Toyota Honorees:

Kristen Tabar, group vice chairman, Research and Development Toyota Motor North America (TMNA)
With greater than 30 years of expertise within the auto business, Tabar is a trailblazer in TMNA R&D, at present main mobility options. Name a task in automotive electronics, and Tabar has probably stuffed it. She’s additionally steered course of and design enhancements and led the company high quality division for Toyota’s North American operations.

Natalie Wilkinson, vice chairman, Manufacturing Production Innovation Center, TMNA
As a feminine trailblazer in Toyota manufacturing engineering, Wilkinson is a transformative chief at TMNA. She’s held key roles in plant manufacturing and regional headquarters, overseeing the automotive manufacturing revolution. Leading the cross-functional manufacturing manufacturing innovation middle and the manufacturing digital transformation group, she employs revolutionary methods and applied sciences, steering Toyota towards competitiveness, electrification and carbon neutrality.

Toyota Emerging Leaders:

Patricia Pastrana Arroyo, pilot engineer, Toyota Indiana (Emerging Leader Award)
Arroyo’s repute as a motivated engineer with abilities for establishing methods and coaching groups at Toyota Indiana is well-founded. During her time because the plastics division principal chief, she educated 55 group members whereas implementing quite a few kaizens and a paint-jig enchancment, growing effectivity and high quality whereas considerably decreasing prices for 2 mannequin launches.

Each 12 months, the Manufacturing Institute, the workforce growth and schooling accomplice of the National Association of Manufacturers, acknowledges girls within the science, expertise, engineering and manufacturing areas of the manufacturing business who exemplify management and excellence of their careers.

About Toyota 
Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been part of the cultural material in North America for greater than 65 years, and is dedicated to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility by way of our Toyota and Lexus manufacturers, plus our greater than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota instantly employs greater than 63,000 individuals in North America who’ve contributed to the design, engineering, and meeting of almost 47 million automobiles and vans at our 13 manufacturing crops. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will start to fabricate automotive batteries for electrified autos. With extra electrified autos on the highway than another automaker, Toyota at present gives 27 electrified choices.

For extra details about Toyota, go to www.ToyotaNewsroom.com. 

Motorsport

Most Automakers Get Poor IIHS Rating for Driver Monitoring Systems

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) does not consider automakers are preserving an in depth sufficient eye on drivers as they use superior driver-assist programs. A new report from the agency gave 11 out of 14 monitoring/safeguard programs available on the market in the present day a poor score, whereas two are ranked marginal, and only one is labeled acceptable. None earn a superb score.

According to IIHS requirements, a superb score requires programs to watch the motive force’s eyes and hand place and have two alerts inside a 10-second span. If the motive force remains to be deemed inattentive by 20 seconds, a 3rd alert must be carried out or the automotive ought to start emergency motion to gradual the automotive and safely exit the street. Regardless of the alerts, 35 seconds of inattentive motion ought to have the automobiles slowing and exiting the street.

Monitoring programs also needs to require people to provoke lane modifications. Lane-keep help shouldn’t disengage if a driver makes guide changes whereas it is lively, as this encourages drivers to actively drive. Similarly, adaptive cruise management shouldn’t routinely resume after a protracted cease, presumably in heavy visitors the place issues might be hectic. Lastly, if seat belts aren’t fixed or computerized emergency braking is disabled, the monitoring system ought to stop the motive force assists from activating.

The IIHS examine coated automobiles from Ford, General Motors, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Genesis, Lexus, Nissan, and Volvo. Lexus has the excellence of incomes the suitable score, with General Motors and Nissan receiving the 2 marginal rankings. The examine concedes that Ford will get near a greater score, however the takeaway is that each driver monitoring system within the group falls brief in a number of areas.

“The shortcomings vary from system to system,” mentioned IIHS Senior Research Scientist Alexandra Mueller. “Many vehicles don’t adequately monitor whether the driver is looking at the road or prepared to take control. Many lack attention reminders that come soon enough and are forceful enough to rouse a driver whose mind is wandering. Many can be used despite occupants being unbelted or when other vital safety features are switched off.”

While the examine is essential of those programs, the IIHS believes fixes might be achieved largely by way of software program modifications.

“These results are worrying, considering how quickly vehicles with these partial automation systems are hitting our roadways,” mentioned IIHS President David Harkey. “But there’s a silver lining if you look at the performance of the group as a whole. No single system did well across the board, but in each category, at least one system performed well. That means the fixes are readily available and, in some cases, may be accomplished with nothing more than a simple software update.”


Motorsport

Crash Testing Will Get Even Tougher In 2025, Says IIHS

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety makes it tougher yearly to earn the group’s Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards. The group is now outlining the modifications to the standards for 2024, and confirmed to Motor1 the modifications it plans to make to the assessments for 2025. 

There are vital modifications to the IIHS award standards for this 12 months. For 2024, score from the IIHS is now crucial for the aspect crash check with a heavier barrier for a TSP or TSP+ award. Previously, the group had separate day and night time pedestrian entrance crash prevention evaluations. Now, it is combining them into one check with runs in each circumstances so {that a} car cannot excel throughout only one time of day and get an award. An acceptable or good score is important to be eligible for both honor.

During its entrance overlap check final 12 months, IIHS started putting a dummy behind the driver. To get a Top Safety Pick+ in 2024, a car should rating an appropriate or good score. The group can also be revising the way it scores the small overlap entrance crash check. The driver- and passenger-side evaluations are actually a single class, and the score is the decrease of the 2 outcomes. All trim ranges of a car have to obtain good or acceptable scores for the mannequin to be eligible for both award.

 

Things are going to be even more durable subsequent 12 months, in accordance with the group.

“We will raise the bar again with more challenging criteria for 2025 Top Safety Picks, though the updates will be more modest,” IIHS spokesperson Joe Young advised Motor1. “The changes will relate to our updated moderate overlap crash test. A good or acceptable rating in that test is one requirement for the 2024 Top Safety Pick+ award. In 2025, the “plus” award will require a good rating, while the regular Top Safety Pick will require an acceptable rating.”

The IIHS award standards bases its award standards on the calendar 12 months, not a car’s mannequin 12 months. This means even when 2025 fashions start arriving in showrooms later this 12 months, the group will nonetheless use the 2024 guidelines for testing them. 

So far, there are 22 Top Safety Pick+ winners and 49 autos with the Top Safety Pick for 2024. For comparability, there have been 28 TSP+ autos and 20 TSP fashions when the IIHS announced its 2023 criteria.

Motorsport

Most-watched IIHS crash exams of 2023

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) routinely publishes movies of its crash exams to YouTube. While it is actually satisfying to observe new automobiles get smashed to items, the clips additionally present a singular perception into how security is engineered into new automobiles. These are the IIHS’s most considered crash check movies from final 12 months. 

5. 2023 Rivian R1S Updated Moderate Overlap Crash Test

Taking the fifth spot is the 2023 Rivian R1S. It’s the costliest automotive on this checklist, and the one purely electrical automobile. We can perceive the general public’s curiosity right here — Rivian is a brand new model, and it is all the time attention-grabbing to see how battery-powered automobiles stack up towards exams initially designed for gas-powered automobiles. The reply? Not properly, at the least with reference to the up to date average overlap check, the place the R1S scored a “marginal” score. 

4. 2023 Toyota Camry Updated Moderate Overlap Crash Test

Next on the checklist is the 2023 Toyota Camry. While it is not a really thrilling automotive, it is simple to see why this crash check was so in style. The Camry is the best-selling sedan within the United States, shifting practically 300,000 models in 2023. Buyers, homeowners, and Uber passengers alike are possible curious to know the way this automotive would fare in a crash. Like the Rivian, it was in a position to rating properly in each crash class save for the check you see above, the up to date average overlap check, the place it too scored a score of “marginal.”

3. 2023 Ford Maverick Updated Side Crash Test

The IIHS’s exams of the Ford Maverick try to reply a query we’re certain is on each pickup proprietor’s thoughts: Can a pickup truck nonetheless be protected if it is small? Sure, an F-150 can tank just about any affordable affect you throw at it, however what about Ford’s entry-level unibody truck? The public’s curiosity was sufficient to raise the Maverick’s aspect crash check video to 3rd place. While it was in a position to obtain a “good” score on this check, it was solely given an “acceptable” score for its average overlap.

2. Volvo XC60

Volvo is touted as one of many most secure automotive manufacturers on the market, so it is fairly massive information at any time when considered one of its automobiles would not ace a crash check. That’s precisely what occurred right here in the course of the XC60, the place within the IIHS’s up to date aspect crash check, the SUV was solely in a position to rating an “acceptable” score (one score under “good”). The XC60 was in a position to ace each different check, although, so we suspect it is nonetheless fairly protected. 

1. Toyota Grand Highlander

The most-viewed video from the IIHS in 2023 goes to the Toyota Grand Highlander’s driver-side small overlap crash check. We suspect this video was so in style for a similar causes the Camry’s crash check was so broadly considered: Because lots of people will purchase this automotive, they usually merely need to know the way it performs in a crash. The Highlander is the go-to alternative for large households, which means dad and mom are possible curious to know the way it’ll carry out. The automotive earned an “acceptable” score right here, the one check the place it carried out under “good.”

Motorsport

Toyota Crown Receives Top Safety Pick+ Award for Excellent Crash Performance

The 2023 Toyota Crown has been honored with the prestigious Top Safety Pick+ Award by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. This mid-size sedan has demonstrated exceptional crashworthiness, earning Good ratings in almost all categories, including the challenging small overlap front crash test and the revised side crash evaluation. You can witness the small overlap front crash test in the video above.

In addition to excelling in crash tests, the Toyota Crown achieved a Good rating in every other crash metric. The vehicle’s front crash prevention system received special recognition, achieving a Superior rating in both day and night conditions.


Motorsport

Watch Honda Odyssey, Other Minivans Struggle In IIHS Rear Seat Test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently conducted a more challenging moderate overlap front crash test on several minivans, including the Chrysler Pacifica, Honda Odyssey, Kia Carnival, and Toyota Sienna. Unfortunately, the results were far from impressive.

The IIHS ranks vehicles based on their performance, using categories such as Good, Acceptable, Marginal, and Poor. Let’s take a look at how these minivans fared:

Model Overall Rating
2023 Chrysler Pacifica Marginal
2023 Kia Carnival Marginal
2023 Toyota Sienna Marginal
2023 Honda Odyssey Poor

In this updated moderate overlap front crash test, the IIHS now evaluates the safety of second-row passengers. While all these minivan models scored well in terms of protecting the driver, the concern lies in ensuring the safety of rear occupants. The IIHS uses a crash test dummy representing either a small woman or a 12-year-old child in the back seat.


Mazda

First-Ever Mazda CX-90 Earns 2023 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ AWARD

WASHINGTON, DC (Sept. 12, 2023) – The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 2024 CX-90 and CX-90 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) its highest safety rating, the 2023 TOP SAFETY PICK+.

IIHS President David Harkey stated, “The excellent performance of these two new SUVs demonstrates Mazda’s commitment to safety. In 2023, we raised our award standards, and Mazda has met the challenge.”

Mazda North American Operations President and CEO Tom Donnelly said, “Safety is a top priority at Mazda, and our engineers continually strive to enhance crashworthiness and crash avoidance technologies to meet and surpass stringent testing criteria. We are incredibly proud that the 2024 CX-90 and CX-90 PHEV have achieved the TOP SAFETY PICK+ for 2023.”

To attain the 2023 TOP SAFETY PICK+, a vehicle must achieve excellent ratings in driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, original moderate overlap front, and updated side tests. All trims must feature acceptable or good headlights, and a front crash prevention system with advanced or superior ratings in both daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations must be available.

The Mazda3 Sedan, Mazda3 Hatchback, CX-30, CX-5, and CX-50 vehicles have all received the 2023 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK award.

To learn more about advanced safety at Mazda, please visit the MazdaUSA.com website – https://www.mazdausa.com/why-mazda/safety.

The IIHS is an independent, non-governmental safety-testing organization funded by the insurance industry. For more information, visit https://www.iihs.org/ratings/top-safety-picks.

Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, overseeing the sales, marketing, parts, and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Colombia through around 795 dealers. Mazda Canada Inc. manages operations in Canada, Mazda Motor de Mexico handles operations in Mexico, and Mazda de Colombia manages operations in Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at InsideMazda.MazdaUSA.com/Newsroom.

Stay updated on MNAO’s social media channels through Twitter and Instagram at @MazdaUSA and Facebook at Facebook.com/MazdaUSA.###

Motorsport

2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee Earns IIHS Top Safety Pick + Rating

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has awarded the 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee with its highest safety honor. Both the standard Grand Cherokee and the three-row Grand Cherokee L have received the IIHS Top Safety Pick + rating. However, there are some important details to consider.

The current-generation Grand Cherokee was introduced in 2020, followed by the longer Grand Cherokee L in early 2021. But it is important to note that the IIHS awards specifically apply to 2023 models, and more specifically, Grand Cherokees built after March 2023. For Grand Cherokee L models, the production date requirement is May 2023.

So, what brought about this recognition? According to the IIHS, Jeep made structural changes to the Grand Cherokee’s undercarriage to address a significant fuel leak issue that arose in earlier models during crash tests. This leak was caused by the tank being punctured by sheet metal. These changes, along with adjustments to the headlights across all Grand Cherokee trims, were made by Jeep to improve safety ratings.

The 2023 Grand Cherokee models built after the specified dates now receive good ratings in all IIHS crash tests, including overlap front crash tests for both the driver and passenger sides, as well as side-impact tests. In terms of lighting, the changes made by Jeep have resulted in either good or acceptable ratings for all trim levels of the Grand Cherokee.

To qualify for the IIHS Top Safety Pick + award, vehicles must have frontal crash prevention systems that achieve advanced or superior ratings in vehicle-to-pedestrian collisions. The 2023 Grand Cherokee, in its standard and L formats, received an advanced rating for daytime operation and a superior rating for nighttime operation. Jeep provides this system as standard on all Grand Cherokee trim levels, making it deserving of the Top Safety Pick + accolade.

In terms of pricing, Jeep offers the 2023 Grand Cherokee in eight different trims. The base trim, the Grand Cherokee Laredo, starts at $41,330 (including a $1,795 destination fee) for a two-wheel-drive model with a white exterior. All other colors come at an additional $595 cost. Opting for four-wheel drive adds $2,000 to the price, and the cheapest three-row Grand Cherokee (2WD) starts at $43,330. At the top of the range, the Grand Cherokee L starts at $72,735 with standard 4WD. However, choosing any exterior color other than white incurs a $595 upcharge.

Motorsport

Tougher IIHS Midsize Cars Rear-Seat Safety Test Shows Head, Neck Injury Risk

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released concerning findings about the rear-seat safety of midsize cars. The updated moderate overlap front crash test revealed significant differences among vehicles, highlighting the need for improved rear-seat protection.

In a notable achievement, the Honda Accord emerged as the top performer in rear-seat safety, securing an exceptional rating. However, most midsize cars struggled to meet the IIHS’s strict safety criteria. Among the other six vehicles assessed, the Subaru Outback received an acceptable rating, showing moderate success in rear-seat protection. On the lower end of the spectrum, the Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Volkswagen Jetta received poor ratings, indicating notable deficiencies in their rear-seat safety provisions.

During testing, a recurring issue was the “submarining” of the rear dummy, where it slid forward and went beneath the lap belt. This increased the risk of internal injuries, especially in vehicles that received poor ratings. Measurements taken from the rear dummy indicated potential injuries to the head, neck, and chest in poorly rated vehicles.

The updated moderate overlap front test was introduced last year after research revealed a higher risk of fatal injuries for belted occupants in the rear seats compared to those in the front. The aim of this new evaluation is to encourage manufacturers to prioritize improvements in rear-seat safety. The evaluation involves placing a dummy in the back seat behind the driver to assess injuries commonly observed in back-seat passengers.

To receive a good rating, vehicles must demonstrate minimal risks of injury to the head, neck, chest, and thigh of the rear dummy. Proper positioning without submarining is crucial, as well as maintaining a safe distance between the dummy’s head and the interior components. Shoulder belt retention on the shoulder is also essential, as evaluated by a pressure sensor on the dummy’s torso.

Ratings in the updated moderate overlap front test for midsize cars:

Vehicle Overall rating Structure & safety cage Driver injury measures Rear passenger injury measures
2023 Honda Accord G (Good) G G G
2023 Subaru Outback A (Acceptable) G G G
2023 Nissan Altima M (Marginal) G G A
2023 Toyota Camry M G G M
2023 Hyundai Sonata P (Poor) G G P
2023 Kia K5 P G G P
2023 Volkswagen Jetta P G G P

In June of this year, the IIHS tested five small crew cab pickups, and none of them received a top score in the updated moderate overlap front evaluation that focused on rear-seat safety. Similarly, a selection of five small cars also underwent the updated safety test, and none of them performed well.

ToyotaUk

Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center Expands Latest Phase of Research with New Projects

Collaborations with University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Touchstone Evaluations, Inc., University of Michigan International Center for Automotive Medicine, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Center for Transportation and Logistics Agelab

Project expansion reinforces research vision of promoting safety innovations and facilitating a seamless transition to future mobility solutions

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (July 27, 2023) – Toyota’s Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) announced plans to launch three new projects as part of its next phase of research, dedicated to advancing safety in mobility technologies.

The three new projects include investigating driver support features for vehicle lane centering, creating an in-vehicle intervention prototype to promote safe driving, and using data to improve technology for driver decision making and encourage safer driving behavior.

In addition, Toyota has joined the Vulnerable Road User Injury Prevention Alliance (VIPA) at the University of Michigan International Center for Automotive Medicine (ICAM) to support ongoing research into crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists, and e-scooter riders. VIPA aims to enhance industry-wide understanding of common scenarios that lead to crashes and injuries, with the goal of developing effective prevention measures.

These projects, along with the 13 projects announced in 2022, are part of Toyota’s five-year $30 million commitment to exploring safety needs and inclusive mobility options.

“Our new research projects exemplify CSRC’s dedication to improving safety in the automotive industry,” said Danil Prokhorov, director of Toyota’s CSRC. “By collaborating with researchers and studying real-world problems, we aim to develop enhanced engineering tools and empower drivers to maximize the potential of advanced technologies.”

For these new projects, CSRC is partnering with Massachusetts Institute of Technology Agelab, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, and Touchstone Evaluations, Inc. The findings will be shared publicly to maximize their impact and contribute to the development of a safer mobility society.

The three new research projects are:

The Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC) was established in 2011 to advance safety in the automotive industry through collaborations with universities and other institutions. With current commitments, CSRC has received $115 million for safety research, including the development of tools and testing procedures for advanced driver assistance systems and human factors research.

The current phase of research at CSRC focuses on three key tracks: Human-Centric, Safety Assurance, and Assessment. These tracks aim to ensure safe and accessible mobility technologies, enhance safe operations, and quantify mobility safety measures.

CSRC has conducted 98 research projects with over 30 different institutions, resulting in the publication of over 275 research papers. The projects have contributed to the advancement of research and technology for the safe integration of future mobility solutions.

TMNA R&D

Toyota Motor North America Research & Development (TMNA R&D) has been leading engineering for Toyota vehicles for over 50 years. The team is now focused on creating next-generation vehicles and advanced mobility concepts. Toyota’s innovation has resulted in more patents than any other automaker for the past nine consecutive years.