Toyota: 'Reborn' and 'Fun to drive, again' slogans announced [video]

CEO of Japanese automaker says the brand must find the fun factor

Speaking at the Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota president and CEO Akio Toyoda unveiled the Japanese automaker's new slogans - 'Reborn' and 'Fun to drive, again'.

Toyoda said the brand must emphasize the enjoyment factor of its products as Toyota unveiled several concepts at the show, such as the aptly-named Fun Vii, that played on that theme.

"I belive if it is not fun then it is not a car. There are many different ways of travelling from A to B, but a car must have an emotional presence that inspires drivers to enjoy the feeling of driving," said Toyoda.

Toyoda also stated that measures taken to make cars more fuel-efficient should not detract from their fun factor.

"I believe that no matter how advanced we can become, it is important to keep the feeling of excitement," said Toyoda.

On a less environmentally-correct note, he also said that he hopes the gasoline-powered car isn't going to become obsolete.

"Personally I like the smell of gasoline and sound of an engine, so I hope this type of vehicle won't disappear," he said, as quoted in the Autocar story.

Source: autocar.co.uk

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Nov 30, 2011 10:22 am By Alex Ricciuti

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Toyota Fun-Vii concept anticipates future mobility [video]

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vilivo

I will reserve judgement on this one, until I have driven a few of their next- gen models. For now, sounds like a good promise...

November 30, 2011 11:33 am

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tbrodie

"If it's not fun, then it's not a car"? What have they been building then? As for the "again" part, there's only a handful of fun cars they've made in the last 40 years (Supra, MR2, some Celicas). There's nothing wrong with making transportation appliances. They've been very successful at that, and they've created quite a following, but anyone can speak a slogan, and saying it doesn't make it so. It's going to take a lot more than their joint venture with Subaru to turn their image around. Ok, I admit it. I'm annoyed with Corollas clogging up the fast lane. It's always a dawdling Corolla. Perhaps with that suspension design they think they're blazing, but they're not. Until they eradicate the millions of "fun" Corollas they've bilged out onto the highways of the world, they're going to have an image challenge. (Go ahead, thumbs down me, but there are a thousand more thumbs pointing down at you Corolla and Camry loving drivers.)

November 30, 2011 1:31 pm

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PAA

Toyoda you are right, if it is not fun to drive then it is not a car. And right now, after test driving Toyota's small ones, Toyota has no cars. They are numb uninspiring wheels that I could not believe people who know a tiny bit of driving would buy them. So start bringin out cars like the GT86 before Toyota begins to follow the old GM's path.

December 1, 2011 12:34 am

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