Pure Genius - Toyota Today

2015 Yaris
Sharper for the Eyes,
Smoother for the Body
september/october2014
THE MAGAZINE FOR TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS
Pure
Genius
How Technology Specialists
Can Minimize the Wait and
Maximize the Wow
The redesigned 2015 Yaris checks
all the boxes for small-car shoppers.
Bold new exterior sports a European flair
Soft-touch interior is roomier, quieter
Nine-airbag array includes front-seat cushion airbags
Segment-exclusive: 3- and 5-door models
Entune audio standard; navigation system available
Easy on the wallet
september/october2014
DEALER DOINGS:
5
by
Dan Nied
13 FT-1 Concept
It’s turning even more heads with its sleek
graphite exterior and upscale interior.
Dealer Doings
See what great things Toyota dealers are doing
in the community.
9
Privacy Matters
Do you know what you should and shouldn’t do
when it comes to customer privacy?
E D I T O R I A L
S T A F F
7
On the Cover: Tech Geniuses
standing in front of Signature Toyota in Benton Harbor, Mich.
The dealership was four years old and the area was
rebounding from the most recent recession. Fast forward
to today, the dealership is turning 25 and has grown from
11 to 44 employees. And while the nation’s most recent
recession wreaked havoc on most, Signature Toyota and
its community have found strength in their people to keep
moving forward.
Moon is now semi-retired. Though he’s still heavily
involved with Signature Toyota through a trio of weekly
calls, the store’s day-to-day operations are run by general
manager Bill Crowder, one of Signature’s first employees
back in 1989.
“When Gene first came here, a lot of people looked at him
funny,” Crowder says. “They wondered how Toyota can
be successful in an area that’s not that great, economically.”
Benton Harbor has seen its ups and downs over the
years, and the more affluent St. Joseph provided a strong
customer base from the start. But as the area ebbed and
flowed with the economic tide, Signature Toyota just kept
growing while supporting local economic development,
grass root events, charities, churches and schools.
“We do the best we can with the community and we
have very good relationships,” Moon says. “When we
showed up here in 1988 it was at the bottom of wherever
it was going to go. Since then, the community has come
back nicely.”
Signature Toyota found its footing with a commitment
to customer service.
“We treat our customers the way that we would want
to be treated,” Crowder says. “Everything we do here is
focused on the customer. Our customers appreciate that.”
As for Moon, he’s pleased with the dealership’s
success, but he’s not surprised.
“We had high hopes for the place,” he says. “And it’s
turned out to be exactly what we expected.”
A team of tech-savvy and friendly tech geniuses at Ardmore
Toyota helps solve two industry problems at once.
DEALER DOINGS:
‘Best in Town’
Rogers Toyota Honors Perfect
Attendance with Bike Giveaway
The Toyota National Dealer Meeting featured a concrete
direction for the future, a celebration of accomplishments
for the present and some true-to-form Waku Doki.
Published six times per year for Toyota dealers and dealership personnel by the Corporate Communications
Division of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. Copyright ©2014 by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Contents may be reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.
Manager
Lora Jones
Editor
Lisa Yamada
Writers
Dan Miller
Dan Nied
For customer inquiries:
Please contact our Toyota Customer Experience Center
TEL: 800.331.4331
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AkinsParker Creative
WEB: toyota.com TEL: 800.GO.TOYOTA
Address magazine correspondence and inquiries to:
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TEL: 310.468.8550 eMAIL: [email protected]
For product and company information:
Rogers Toyota has a pretty fantastic way of keeping kids
going to school every day: Award bikes to local sixth-grade
students who earn perfect attendance throughout the
school year.
The Lewiston, Idaho, dealership began the “Perfect
Attendance Spells Success” or PASS program seven years
ago by giving away 14 bikes. Since then, the program has
grown. Last school year Rogers gave away more than
115 new bikes and helmets to children in the LewistonClarkston Valley.
“So we think our program is working and is an
incentive for kids to stay in school,” Dealer Principal Ryan
Rogers told local news station KLEW.
Rogers Toyota employees present the winners with
by
Dan Nied
a certificate at each school’s year-end assembly. The students
and their families, about 300 people in all, are invited to the
dealership for a celebration barbecue that is cooked and served
by dealership employees.
Sweet Ride
Last school
year, Rogers
Toyota gave
away more
than 115 new
bikes and
helmets to
local sixthgraders with
perfectattendance.
september/october2014
In 1993, Gene Moon posed for the cover of Toyota Today
2
toyotatoday
2
25 Years Later,
Signature Toyota Still
a Pillar in Benton Harbor
Still Going Strong
Featured on the cover
of Toyota Today in 1993,
Signature Toyota is still
going strong under the
guidance of
Dealer
Principal
Gene Moon.
DEALER DOINGS:
DEALER DOINGS:
DEALER DOINGS:
Stadium Toyota Helps
Hillsborough County
Appraiser ‘Go Green’
Lowe Toyota Turns
High-Mileage Camry
into a Sales Tool
Service Technician
Uses Expertise to
Boost Teen Self-Esteem
by
Dan Miller
september/october2014
Going the extra mile—or miles in this case—helped
toyotatoday
3
Stadium Toyota in Tampa, Fla., win a contract this summer
to lease 22 Prius hybrids to the Hillsborough County
Property Appraiser ‘s office.
When it came time to update the fleet used by his
employees, Property Appraiser Bob Henriquez thought it
was a good opportunity to replace the combustion enginepowered vehicles with hybrids as a way to save money on
fuel and help the environment.
Officials visited Toyota dealers across the county
during the bidding process, but sales associate Steven
Blank said Stadium Toyota was able to provide additional
services that he believes helped win the contract.
One of those is that fact that Blank has driven Pirus
hybrids for nine years, and knows how to get maximum
fuel economy from the car.
“I did step-by-step instructions with all of the people
who work for the property appraiser when they first came
here,” said Blank. “I did an extensive test drive and showed
stand out as part of the initiative to go green.
DEALER DOINGS:
Automotive Foundation
Helps Build Life-changing
Orphanage in India by Dan Miller
When Troy and Tracy Duhon established Hope the
Premier Way, their Louisiana-based non-profit foundation,
the couple was determined to make a difference that,
in Troy’s words, “changed the planet.” For 50 orphans in
India, they already have.
The foundation, an offshoot of Premier Automotive
Group—which includes Toyota of New Orleans, Premier
Toyota Richmond (Ind.), and Poway Toyota (Calif.)—
partnered with Angel House Rescue Orphanage to build a
brand new facility in Hyderabad. The Duhons, as well as
several dealership employees, traveled there earlier this
year when the two-story orphanage opened its doors.
“There are 25 million orphans in India, many who
sleep in the streets. So, clearly, there is great need,” says
Troy. “But it wasn’t until I went there and saw the joy in
these kids’ eyes and the tears rolling down their faces that
I felt like we had really done something special. Business
is good. Why buy a new plane or a 150-foot yacht when
you can change someone’s life?”
A New Home
Just 16 of the
50 children who
call Angel House
Rescue Orphanage
home pose for
a photo during
the new facility’s
dedication.
Dan Nied
Three years ago, Jim Nuemiller approached his youth
Outstanding Appraisal
Hillsborough County (Fla.) Property Appraiser Bob
Henriquez checks out one of the 22 Priuses leased
from Stadium Toyota.
them how to utilize the hybrid components to get that fuel
efficiency, and how to do it both on the highway and in the
neighborhood communities.”
Blank said Stadium Toyota was also able to offer a
maintenance agreement as part of the lease, and came
back with the most competitive price.
“It’s good for us because it’s got our name out there
that we’re in partnership with our local government trying
to get them the best deal possible,” Blank said.
Blank also lauded the work of Stadium Toyota dealer
inventory manager Sam Fagnoni in finding all 22 of the cars
in Sea Glass Pearl. The appraiser’s office had hoped to get
at least 15 of the cars in the distinctive color so they would
by
Still Good to Go
Owner Oscar Chambers (right) shares a moment
with his old Camry that he traded to Lowe
Toyota through Sales Manager Jeremy Smith.
The dealership now uses the high-mileage road
warrior as tangible confirmation of Toyota’s
legendary reliability.
Like their counterparts at other Toyota dealerships,
the salespeople at Lowe Toyota like to talk about the
brand’s legendary durability when they interact with
their customers. But since June, when the Warner
Robins, Ga., dealership took in a 2005 Camry with more
than 620,000 miles on it in trade, they’ve been able to
actually show it, too.
Oscar Chambers bought the car when it was
new from Lowe Toyota and, without fail, brought it
back to the dealership for regular maintenance. That
proved to be a nearly monthly ritual, due in large part
to Chambers’ 200-mile roundtrip commute to and from
Atlanta each workday. When the Camry needed a new
catalytic converter, he decided to trade it for a new
Avalon. In turn, Lowe Toyota decided to park the road
warrior on its showroom floor rather than wholesale it.
“It’s worth a lot more to us as a sales tool,”
says Sales Manager Jeremy Smith. “People see the
odometer and think it’s a joke. But then we hand them
the CARFAX report and the service history. We sell 5060 Camrys per month and every one of those customers
checks out that car. It makes quite an impression.”
pastor at Charity Lutheran Church with an idea to teach
teens a skill and improve their self-esteem.
A few years earlier Nuemiller – a technician at
Cedric Theel Toyota in Bismarck, North Dakota for the
last 31 years – taught his youngest daughter how to
replace the engine in a Toyota pickup truck. “It was a
great way to bond with her,” Neumiller says. “That’s
when I got the idea to do this with other teens.”
Since Built, as Nuemiller named the program, was
born, he and 10 apprentices have rebuilt three Toyotas.
The latest crop was a trio of girls who began with no
idea how to fix the 2001 Celica Nuemiller purchased for
the project.
“I asked, ‘Are you willing to learn?’” Nuemiller
says. “After 90 minutes all I had to tell them was which
tools we needed. We had the motor out in three hours.”
Cedric Theel Toyota sells Nuemiller parts at cost
and donates money to the effort. “Jim is a Master
Technician,” says Dealer Principal Justin Theel. “He and
his kids find vehicles that need some TLC and get after it.”
Nuemiller cherishes the chance to improve teen selfesteem through teaching, but he loves the end the most.
“After each car is finished we put on the ugliest
Hawaiian shirts we can find and I take the kids to
breakfast,” he says.
Built Together
Morgan Kuchenski
and Paige Davis
knew nothing
about cars before
Cedric Theel
Toyota Master
Technician Jim
Nuemiller taught
them how to
rebuild a 2001
Celica Engine.
september/october2014
Charles Pannunzio
4
toyotatoday
by
Photos by Paul S. Howell
What your customers don’t know can still hurt
them. And if it does, there’s a good chance it’s
going to hurt you, too.
So warns Jeff Wyler, owner of the Cincinnatibased Jeff Wyler Automotive Family, when it
comes to automotive retailers’ care and handling of
customer information gathered online. Currently,
only a small minority of Internet shoppers realizes
how dealerships use the details people willingly—
as well as inadvertently—provide as they browse.
But awareness of “Big Data” is growing, and with it
so is the potential for legal challenges.
“Your website has become the front door to
your dealership,” says Wyler, whose 14 stores
include Jeff Wyler Toyota of Clarksville (Ind.) and
Jeff Wyler Springfield Toyota (Ohio). “As such, it’s
become increasingly important to be transparent
about what happens when a customer pays you a
visit. There’s no reason not to be.”
A Three-step Approach
Frye’s concern is that new laws are open to
interpretation. That can create gray areas that
attract lawyers inclined to file lawsuits against
Face of the Franchise
Jeff Wyler Automotive Family’s namesake didn’t
hesitate to get in front of a camera to explain his
dealership’s stance on customer privacy in an
online video.
september/october2014
Ahead of the Curve
Kevin Frye, eCommerce director at Jeff Wyler Automotive Family,
has become recognized as an expert in the automotive industry
when it comes to what dealerships should and shouldn’t do when
collecting information about customers who visit their websites.
Wyler’s eCommerce director, Kevin Frye,
convinced him to get ahead of this curve by
posting their privacy policy in a prominent spot
on each of his dealerships’ websites. Though
Frye strived to write the policy in plain English,
he admits it’s still burdened by legalese.
So he went one step further and asked Wyler
to introduce the policy with a brief but heartfelt
video statement. As the television advertising
spokesperson for his dealerships for more than
40 years, Wyler welcomed the opportunity
to put a human face on what is becoming an
increasingly complex technical issue.
In the three months since, other dealers
have yet to follow—and Frye believes that
could be a problem. Over the past year or so,
Frye has become known as an industry expert
on the issue of customer privacy, delivering a
presentation on the topic at the Digital Dealer
Conference held in Atlantic City, N.J., in May.
“I spent 5-6 months researching this,”
says Frye. “The European Union passed a law
requiring sites to disclose the use of ‘cookies’
(a mechanism for tracking a customer’s
movement throughout a site) right out of the
gate with people. Then California passed a law
that said basically the same thing, requiring you
to disclose the information you are collecting
and give customers choices regarding the use and
sharing of personal information. And Canada
passed an anti-spam law that prohibits you from
sending a commercial email without at least the
implied consent of the recipient.
This is just the beginning. The Federal Trade
Commission is looking into this. There’s only
going to be more regulation, not less.”
high-profile businesses like auto dealerships.
To help head off such litigation, Frye
recommends dealers proactively adopt Wyler’s
three-step approach:
• Be transparent—Disclose to customers up
front the information you are collecting and
how you are collecting it.
• Show the value—Explain that data
collection can personalize the customer’s
shopping experience, helping them find the
vehicle that best fits their needs.
• Provide an “opt out”—Make it easy for
customers to turn off the technology if they
don’t want to be tracked.
So far, Frye says few customers have taken
notice of the Wyler dealer group’s efforts to be
up front about its online policies, including
never selling customer data to third parties.
But he’s convinced that acting a year in advance
is far better than waiting until you’re a day late.
“If we do our best and practice the highest
standards of business, how can we be wrong
with that?” says Frye. “The truth is Big Brother
is here in a big way. That’s not necessarily all
bad. There are benefits to the customer. But
we also need to show respect to our customers.
That’s our approach.”
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toyotatoday
A Human Face
Time Management
Ardmore Toyota’s ‘Technology Geniuses’
help minimize the wait while they maximize the wow
by
Dan Miller
july/august2014
september/october2014
Kim Gallia isn’t a magician. She makes
toyotatoday
7
her living as the assistant general manager at
Ardmore Toyota in suburban Philadelphia. But
early last year, she came up with a way to decrease
the sales transaction time while increasing the time
customers spend getting acquainted with their
vehicles’ high-tech features.
And that’s no small trick.
“We sell a lot of cars, about 350 new and used
per month, on a dealership that sits on just an
acre and a half,” says Gallia. “We have to keep it
moving. But, at the same time, we don’t want our
customers to feel like they’re being rushed. We can’t
afford to shortchange the delivery.”
Basically, she and her team needed to
communicate more, but take less time doing it.
A New Delivery
Department
How did they pull it off? By creating a standalone delivery department and staffing it with
“technology geniuses.” These specialists guide
customers through the final stage of the sales
process, freeing up their sales colleagues to return
to the showroom floor and assist other customers.
The key, says Gallia, is staffing these positions
with people who have not only a deep knowledge
of Toyota’s latest in-vehicle technologies but also
outgoing, customer-friendly personalities.
Manny Woodard fits that description. After
two years as a lot attendant shuttling vehicles,
he became well acquainted with features such as
Bluetooth connectivity and Toyota’s Entune App
Suite. So when management offered him a position
in the delivery department, he was ready to make
the leap.
“I’m pretty tech savvy,” says Woodard. “But I
also really like helping people. When I worked the
lot, I didn’t have any interaction with customers.”
‘Your Guy’ for Tech
Questions
Now, Woodard says, customer interaction is
front and center. It starts with the geniuses’ bright
red shirts (think Best Buy’s “Geek Squad”) so
customers can easily spot them. It centers on a
delivery process tailored to the customer’s needs
and wants, including the use of iPads to register
Entune users.
Typically, this takes place after the customer
has completed all of the paperwork. But if, say,
it’s a busy Saturday and the F&I department
is backlogged, the geniuses will jump start the
delivery—eliminating the downtime that too often
frustrates customers. And the support continues
down the road with follow-up phone calls, email
and social media conversations with customers who
want more help.
“We want to get people off to a good start with
their vehicles. But we are also here to keep them
going,” says Woodard. “Customers contact me all
the time. It could be the same day they drive off the
lot. Or it could be six months later.”
“We will help customers with the technology,
whether they bought their Toyotas here or not,”
says General Manager Bob Coppock. “We assure
them there are no stupid questions. The geniuses’
job is to provide answers and make the customer
feel comfortable with their car. We let them know:
‘This is your guy.’
“But the geniuses don’t replace our salespeople,
who still do a great job of following up after the
sale,” adds Coppock. “So our customers become
comfortable with more than one person at the store.
From a business standpoint, that’s what you want.”
Everyone Wins, Especially
the Customer
It’s still early, but Ardmore Toyota’s delivery
department seems to be working. The dealership is
consistently at or near the top in its district based on
Toyota’s internal customer satisfaction survey. And
the store’s torrid sales pace, if anything, is even hotter.
“Did we create new jobs? Yes,” says Gallia. “But
that added expense doesn’t hurt our bottom line. Just
the opposite. When you add it all up, the geniuses
have had a positive effect on our business. They’re
allowing our salespeople to get back on the floor and
do what they do best: sell cars. And our customers
are more excited about their vehicles. Everyone wins,
especially the customer.”
Hands-on Help
Using an iPad in the vehicle, Manny Woodard assists a
customer with her Entune registration—often a source
of confusion for new Toyota owners.
Red-dy to Roll
Ardmore Toyota’s tech geniuses—(left to right) Manny
Woodard, Peter Phillips and Damon Taylor—wear bright
red shirts so customers can easily spot them. Assistant
General Manager Kim Gallia (far left) came up with the
plan for a stand-alone delivery department.
Photos by Paul S. Howell
A BRIGHT PATH AHEAD
Toyota National Dealer Meeting
shows pride in today, optimism for tomorrow
july/august2014
The Heart of Waku Doki
With the FT-1 at his side, Akio Toyoda stressed the
‘sex appeal’ of future Toyota products.
Lentz: ‘Confident and Excited’
Ohara: A Call to Innovation
President and CEO of Toyota Motor Sales Kaz
Ohara opened the meeting with a promise to dealers.
“One of our goals here today is to not just
inform you, but to hopefully inspire you on some
level,” Ohara said. “We know that we can show you
charts and talk about sales growth and production
levels—and don’t worry, we will. But we also hope
to engage the other side of your brain.”
Ohara introduced the meeting’s theme: “Best
In Town,” and urged the dealers to consider ways
to innovate their business.
“We want to give you ideas to take home, to
consider and help all of us think about how we,
too, can innovate,” Ohara said. “It’s never too late
to learn a new trick, as I’m told by my children
every day.”
Before Toyoda’s inspiring speech, Toyota
North America CEO Jim Lentz took the stage to
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talk about moving to Plano, Texas.
Texas Forever
Jim Lentz detailed how he and Akio Toyoda
arrived at the decision to move Toyota’s North
American headquarters to Plano, Texas.
Photos by Brian Payne
Lentz said that when he became CEO last
year, Toyoda challenged him to find a way to
ensure the company’s health in the long term.
What will it take, Toyoda asked, to be successful
50 years from now?
After a month of pondering, Lentz came to
Toyoda with the idea of consolidating most North
American operations in a new location.
Akio Toyoda’s entrance to the Toyota National
But what I am sure of is that this is what Toyota
Dealer Meeting in Las Vegas was the definition
looks like to me.”
but siloed and disconnected organization,” Lentz told
of Waku Doki.
dealers. “I told Akio that it’s going to be expensive,
heart-pounding, fun-to-drive cars.
and it’s going to be painful in the short term.”
emerged from a red FT-1 Concept, and then
revved up the dealers with the car that’s been the
into every car we produce,” he said. “Because even
will be a stronger company.
Carter: ‘I’m All In’
buzz of the auto industry since its debut in Detroit
a Sienna needs some sex appeal, don’t you think?”
back in January.
we do business from the ground up,” Lentz told
celebration of Toyota’s newfound sex appeal, its
dealers. “So right now we’re confident and excited.
of affirmative cheers. “Can you sell it? Well I can’t
status as the country’s No. 1 retail automaker and
It’s a bit like what you must feel like when you
say for sure if this concept will go into production.
its upcoming move to Texas.
break ground on a new dealership.”
After Ohara, Senior Vice President of
Automotive Operations Bob Carter shared sales
numbers. And he did it with zeal.
“You are once again the No. 1 retail brand in
the U.S.,” Carter said. “I promise you I will never
The Toyota Motor Corporation President
“Should we make it?” Toyoda asked to a round
Toyoda’s point was clear: Toyota’s future is in
“I’m determined to put a little bit of this FT-1
Indeed, this dealer meeting was an unabashed
“The truth is, we really had grown into this huge
Lentz said that, by moving to Plano, Toyota
“I wanted the opportunity to improve the way
continued on page 11
september/october2014
Dan Nied
10
toyotatoday
by
continued from page 10
Murtha: ‘A Very Real Opportunity’
No Roads Needed
Bill Fay’s passion was evident when he
introduced the new TRD Pro Series.
“On average, it takes customers over four hours
in a dealership to complete a transaction,” Murtha
said. “But nearly half of those in pilot spend only
two hours to complete their sale. That’s a big step
in the right direction. But from what customers are
telling us, we need to get that number under
an hour. Look for more on Pure Process Plus in
the near future.”
Fay: Passion, Parts and Service
No. 1
“You are once again the No. 1 retail brand in the
U.S.,” said Bob Carter to dealers. “I promise you
I will never get tired of saying that.”
Toyota Division Group Vice President and
General Manager Bill Fay began by poking fun at
his own stoicism, but he assured the dealers that a
fire burned within him.
“I’m passionate about parts and service,” Fay
continued: “Even though sometimes I might not
look it, I’m passionate on the inside.”
He dove into the success of ToyotaCare and
touted ToyotaCare Plus, a soon-to-be nationwide
pilot program that gives customers their 30,000mile service plus two or three additional services.
Fay talked about Brand Shift, an initiative to
remake Toyota’s image as an exciting company
with innovative products.
“It’s our way of looking at everything we
do through a specific filter,” he said. “We ask
ourselves: Is it innovative, inspiring and exciting?
And if it isn’t, we start again.”
Toyoda: ‘The Wind is at Our Back’
After he emerged from the FT-1 Concept, Akio
Toyoda didn’t mince words.
“At Toyota today, we’re not about excuses,” he said.
“For us it’s go big or go home. Or move to Texas.”
Toyoda expressed his full support for the move,
and laid out the future.
“The wind is at our back and we have a clear
vision of what we want to achieve. And we are
working on a global scale” he said. “But I believe
it’s more important to think about how we can be
of value, rather than just how we can be a success.”
Toyoda’s words carried considerable weight,
especially when he announced the formation of the
North American Toyota Award, which will be given
next year to the dealer who best represents the
meeting’s theme of “Best in Town.”
Toyoda paused before delivering his close.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I love what I do. It’s as
simple as that,” he said. “And I know most of you
share my love of this business. We are of one mind.
One heart. We are, in fact, a family. Yes things
change, but what I hope will never change is our
love of cars and our commitment to our customers,
our employees and each other.”
september/october2014
Vice President of Scion Doug Murtha asked
dealers: “What is the Scion customer experience
at your store? Do you have a person responsible—
designated, not necessarily dedicated—to Scion’s
success? What role can your team play in driving
higher traffic and handling leads?”
“We have a very real opportunity to get
Scion back on track with exciting new products
that are coming. But to get there we need to get
started now.”
Part of that is maximizing the customer
experience, especially for the younger buyers Scion
appeals to.
That’s where Pure Process Plus comes in. This
is a pilot program with about 50 participating
dealerships where Scion customers can go through
nearly every step of the sales process online.
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toyotatoday
get tired of saying that.”
Carter also touched on the youth market,
refuting reports that Millennials are moving away
from buying cars in favor of ride sharing or other
transportation alternatives.
“Despite those articles claiming young buyers
are not interested in cars, we are now seeing young
buyers as the fastest growing area of the auto
business,” he said. “3.5 million new cars this year
will be sold to people born after 1980.”
And he gushed about the redesigned 2015
Camry. “I’m so excited about this new Camry,”
he said. “I’m like a teenage girl at a One
Direction concert.”
Carter finished with a nod to Toyota’s Texas
move, lifting up his pant leg to reveal a pair of red
cowboy boots.
“It’s not easy finding boots in Toyota red,” he
said. “I don’t do anything halfway. I’m all in.”
Sophisticated Sequel
The heart-stopping FT-1 Concept gets a subdued, upscale sibling
by
Dan Miller
Calty’s
Wonder
Woman
How the FT-1 Concept
became a superhero’s fortress
Sellene Lee has plenty of other interests besides cars.
After stealing the North American International
Auto Show spotlight with the debut of the FT-1
Concept in Detroit in January, what could Toyota’s
design team possibly do for an encore? How about
a second FT-1—that exudes urbane refinement?
Though sharing the original’s muscular exterior,
deeply sculpted lines and dramatic track-ready
persona, this second iteration will likely appeal to
a different breed of automotive enthusiast.
Immediately obvious is the exterior color,
trading the first FT-1’s bold red for the second
concept vehicle’s sophisticated graphite. Inside, the
original’s black leather seating surfaces with red
painted edges have been replaced with an all-natural
saddle brown with subtly blended accents inspired
by high-end leather bags.
The net effect of these and other design
variations are two distinctly different FT-1s: one
that pushes all of the performance hot buttons and
another that is pure sophistication. Yet both are
clearly still sports cars at heart, building on a past
that includes the 2000GT, Celica, Supra, MR2 and
most recently the Scion FR-S. And both concepts—
developed by Calty Design Research in Newport
Beach, Calif.—point to the future as the spiritual pace
cars for the new direction of Toyota Global Design.
It’s a new era in Toyota design, in more ways
than one.
And that might be her greatest strength as a creative
designer in Calty’s Color and Trim department.
Lee’s passion isn’t for what’s under a vehicle’s hood,
but for what’s between its doors. And her work on the
interior of the FT-1 Concept is turning heads.
Lee was born in Seoul, South Korea, and
came to the United States after graduating college.
Outside of work, she turns furniture into art to
display in Southern California galleries. She’s also
a pretty huge movie buff. And all of that went
into creating a dynamic interior design for both
FT-1 Concepts.
We sat down with Sellene to talk about the FT-1
and its superhero roots.
How did the FT-1’s powerful interior
come about?
Each team, after the research, comes up with
a key story for the whole project. For my team, I
researched and came up with my own inspiration
for color and trim based on super heroes. Mostly
when I get my inspiration, it’s spontaneous. The
Superman poster for “Man of Steel” just grabbed
my eye. I thought it was interesting to see how super
hero costumes evolved over time. That was the
seed. After that I researched the oldest super hero
costumes and just took them as inspiration.
So Superman’s history was the inspiration
for the original concept?
Yes! Before, the superhero costume was colorcoded tights. It was interesting to see the “Man
of Steel” poster. It’s very monotone, not just blue
and red anymore. And you have all these intricate
details. It’s a very interesting evolution of the
Superman costume. We kept talking about the
FT-1 interior being like a superhero suit that
optimized the functionality of the driver. So I
thought, ‘If I take the inspiration from the new
superhero costume, I can apply it to the color
theme of the FT-1.’
What was your favorite part of the FT-1
design process?
It was really fun for me because it was the first
time all of our team members worked together in
the research phase. Designing a car is different from
designing furniture or something smaller scale. In
order to make one car, you need a lot of different
talents working together. So no one can be the
product’s sole owner. I don’t have an automotive
design background, so I brought a different
perspective. I really enjoyed working with and
learning from so many car enthusiasts. It was a
really fun collaboration.
Do your other interests help you in
your job?
My background is product design, so I have
always been into smaller-scale design. But the
auto industry wants a fresh perspective, and
my background helps me infuse fresh ideas. I
love design and art and music. Those different
perspectives in the design world are helping me do
this job now.
september/october2014
Dan Nied
14
toyotatoday
by
2015 Yaris
Sharper for the Eyes,
Smoother for the Body
september/october2014
THE MAGAZINE FOR TOYOTA DEALERSHIPS
Pure
Genius
How Technology Specialists
Can Minimize the Wait and
Maximize the Wow
The redesigned 2015 Yaris checks
all the boxes for small-car shoppers.
Bold new exterior sports a European flair
Soft-touch interior is roomier, quieter
Nine-airbag array includes front-seat cushion airbags
Segment-exclusive: 3- and 5-door models
Entune audio standard; navigation system available
Easy on the wallet