TORRANCE, Calif. -
Toyota provided a strong selling point for its dealers this week, making standard maintenance plans for all new Scion and Toyota brand vehicles a free, permanent selling point. 

As well the complimentary normal factory-scheduled maintenance, included in the Toyota Care and Scion Service Boost plans is free 24-hour roadside assistance.

These services are provided for whatever the vehicle reaches first: two years or 25,000 miles.

Looking at the specifics, owners will be provided complimentary oil and filter changes, tire rotations, lubricating key chassis parts/components and a 19-point inspection. Moreover, the 24-roadside assistance includes things like protection from lockout and changing flat tires as well as providing towing and jump-start services, all of which are complimentary, as well.

The impetus for Toyota Care and Scion Service Boost was some positive feedback Toyota received after it started providing complimentary maintenance plans under its seasonal sales program this spring.

Almost three-fourths (73 percent) of those customers found that their confidence in the automaker was lifted.

“The two complimentary maintenance plans were developed to help improve overall cost of ownership and provide invaluable peace of mind for our customers,” said Bob Carter, group vice president and general manager of the Toyota division. “The new programs were inspired by owner feedback and once again reflect how Toyota listens to its customers.”

 
TV ads for Toyota Care started Wednesday, and later in October, print, outdoor, online and digital elements will follow.

These ads will hone in on “peace of mind and worry-free maintenance.”

Meanwhile, there will various marketing and media efforts to publicize Scion Service Boost, as well.

Toyota’s Annual Dealer Meeting

Moving on, Toyota also shared some news from its annual dealer meeting recently held in Las Vegas.

Toyota Motor Corp. president Akio Toyoda spoke at the meeting, as did Toyota Motor Sales USA chairman and chief executive officer Yoshi Inaba and Jim Lentz, TMS president and chief operating officer. Also speaking were Don Esmond, who is TMS senior vice president for automotive operations; Jack Hollis, who is the vice president of Scion; and Carter.

In his speech, Toyoda offered gratitude for the dealers, while also sharing his plan to improve the automaker. It comes down to three cornerstones, as listed by officials:

1) Putting the fun back into driving and owning a Toyota.
2) Offering the best quality cars at value prices.
3) Listening to customers and dealers so that we can respond better and faster.

“I want Toyota to set a new benchmark in listening to our customers and dealers, sharing critical information and responding better than any car company in history,” Toyoda noted.

Moving over to what Toyota must do with regards to environmental responsibility, he added: “We will expand our lineup to include more hybrids, plug-in hybrids, battery electric cars and fuel cell vehicles. We are determined to be the leader in this area.”

Sharing more details of the speeches, executives believe the Toyota division is poised for more growth. They also touched on what they feel a robust offering of new or revamped models that will connect with younger drives thanks to their style and fun attributes.

The aforementioned maintenance offering was also discussed.

Moreover, officials emphasized that Toyota is still tops for quality, dependability and reliability based on third-party tests.

Finally, Toyota indicated it will continue boosting its effort for a more robust North American business. It plans to do so through a more than $1 billion investment in its Mississippi plant earmarked for building more Corollas. The company is also building more trucks. TMC is also ceding some power to its North American business in how it operates and makes decisions.