Buying American? Buy a Toyota Car.

Looking for a new car near Los Angeles? You won’t have any shortage of choices. Everyone has different ideas about who makes the best new car, and their reasons for choosing one brand over another are usually pretty varied. If you specifically want to buy American, why not try Keyes Toyota?

Many people specifically want a car built in the United States, and they tend to look at the usual American brands based in Detroit. Look a bit deeper, however, and the picture becomes more complicated. Nearly every manufacturer sources its parts from a variety of places, with lots of parts and assemblies done overseas. When US News and World Report analyzed companies’ supply chains and manufacturing, they determined the 2017 Toyota Camry is actually the most thoroughly American-made car.

Even though Toyota Motor Corporation is based in Japan, it has a regional subsidiary, Toyota Motor North America, that’s based in Plano, TX. Regional offices, suppliers, dealerships, and factories are located from coast to coast in nineteen states.

A recent study by the Center for Automotive Research* shows that the impact of Toyota R&D, manufacturing, sales, and service is far-reaching. Between direct employment, payroll and sales taxes, and supply chain employment, the impact of the Toyota Motor Corporation’s efforts are felt here in Van Nuys and in practically every other city and town in America.

So if you want to buy American, visit your Toyota dealership near downtown Los Angeles and take a close look at the American-made 2017 Toyota Camry and 2017 Toyota Avalon. Keyes Toyota is located at 5855 Van Nuys Blvd in Van Nuys, CA. Stop by today!

*"Contribution of Toyota Motor North America to the Economies of Nineteen States and the United States in 2015"

2018 Toyota C-HR is Getting Closer

When it broke cover at the 2014 Frankfurt Auto Show, the Toyota C-HR turned heads... and then it promptly went back into hiding. After a lot of speculation and anticipation, it resurfaced again last year, this time as a confirmed production prototype. After so many delays, the 2018 Toyota C-HR will arrive at Keyes Toyota later this year. We're excited to offer this new Toyota crossover to our Glendale and Los Angeles customers.

The model's name stands for Coupe High-Rider, which is a pretty apt description. Once you get past the ride height, what you're left with is an especially rugged-looking (and endearingly quirky) coupe. It's unusual for a crossover, in that there's no AWD available in the first year. What's also unique is that this is a "monospec" vehicle. There will only be two trims, each with a predetermined set of features. What you see is what you get. This is a similar approach to what we've already seen with the Toyota Yaris iA and the Toyota Corolla iM.

Monospec doesn't have to mean monotonous. There will be plenty of technology stuffed into both the XLE and XLE Premium trim levels, including the Toyota Entune infotainment system, active safety and driver assist features, and a perky 144 horsepower engine.

There's not a definite release date yet, but we expect to see the first Toyota C-HR arrive at 5855 Van Nuys Blvd in Van Nuys, CA sometime this summer. The Keyes Toyota staff is excited for the new arrival, and we're sure that our customers from Los Angeles and Glendale will like what they see, too. Visit us today to find out more, or to test drive a new Toyota SUV!

Toyota Research Institute Introduces Next-Gen Research Vehicle

Usually Keyes Toyota is excited to report on new Toyota vehicles we'll be able to offer soon to our customers in Glendale and Los Angeles. The Advanced Active Safety Research Vehicle (AASRV) will never see the inside of a showroom, but we're no less excited for that. This obscure car is the only one of its kind, and in its second generation it could be the most important vehicle on the road right now.

The AASRV came out right before the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show. It was a bit odd-looking, thanks to its arrays of HD cameras, LIDAR, GPS, and proprietary technology. It signaled to the world exactly how serious the Toyota Motor Corporation was about self-driving cars.

The years since have seen the R&D carried on with that unique car filter down to everyday cars like the Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Camry in the form of innovative active safety features. Those safety features haven't just earned multiple Top Safety Pick Plus ratings from the IIHS. They've kept drivers safer.

The next-generation AASRV is the first "product" from the Toyota Research Institute, a billion-dollar initiative launched last year to research and develop new car technology. Like its predecessor, it's built on a Lexus LS 600 borrowed from the company's luxury car division. It uses many of the same kinds of technology. The difference is that this time, everything is modular (so components can be changed as new ones are developed), smaller, and more advanced.

The new AASRV will be used for two categories of research, named Guardian and Chauffer. Guardian is a set of semi-autonomous driver assist features that will be the next evolution of current active safety features. Chauffer is the next big step toward fully-autonomous cars.

A fully self-driving car is some way off still. The technology developed by TRI in the AASRV is closer to Glendale and Los Angeles than you might think. It's right here at Keyes Toyota. To find out more, visit us today at 5855 Van Nuys Blvd in Van Nuys, CA.

Toyota Cars Awarded for Low TCO

What's a TCO? We're glad you asked. It's "Total Cost of Ownership," a metric that takes into account not just the price of a vehicle, but also all the other costs that go into owning and operating it. It's important to understand if you're trying to be smart with your money (and these days, who isn't?). Keyes Toyota shows one more way that Toyota vehicles outperform.

When most people shop for a new car in Van Nuys, they're looking at the sticker price alongside the usual concerns about body style, trim levels, and options. There's nothing wrong with that, but we'd suggest taking a deeper look. TCO helps you do that. Usually calculated on a five-year basis, total cost of ownership accounts for fees, insurance, fuel costs, and the cost to maintain or repair your vehicle.

When Kelley Blue Book evaluated brands' cars for their five-year TCO, Toyota cars came out on top in four categories:

·         Best Compact Car: 2017 Toyota Corolla

·         Best Sports Car: 2017 Toyota 86

·         Hybrid/Alternative Energy Car: 2017 Toyota Prius

·         Electric Vehicle: 2017 Toyota Prius Prime

The fact that two of the winners (the Toyota 86 and Toyota Prius Prime) are new vehicles speaks to the long track record of reliability and low ownership costs for Toyota cars. That let KBB extrapolate a lower TCO than they might otherwise do for a less-dependable brand.

What should be your takeaway? First, if you're buying a new car, don't just look at the sticker price. Second, if you're buying a new Toyota car, look for a Toyota dealership that takes care of the total ownership experience. That's what you'll get at Keyes Toyota. To find out more, visit us at 5855 Van Nuys Blvd in Van Nuys, CA today.