Toyota showed the Scion iQ concept for North America at the New York Auto Show. Details.

Toyota has reported its sales figures for March- still far below last year’s figures but a slight improvement over February. Toyota reported sales of 132,802 vehicles for March- a decrease of 36.6% compared with March, 2008. However, February’s sales were 109,583 vehicles, which represents a 37.3% decrease from February, 2008. So, although sales are still sluggish, there are signs of a slow turnaround for Toyota.

The Toyota Division posted March sales of 118,563 units, a decrease of 36.0 percent from the same period last year. The Lexus Division reported March sales of 14,239 units, a decrease of 40.6 percent from the year-ago month.

The positive spin Toyota would like to put on this is that sales in March were up 16.3% over sales in February. However, that can be misleading since sales are expected to increase from February to March. In fact, all of the major auto makers reported increased sales from February to March- GM reported a sales increase of 23% for that period while reporting a 45% decrease compared with March 2008.

Actually, the February to March comparison may prove to be less rosy than Toyota would hope. By that measure, Ford improved more dramatically, reporting a 30% gain. So, although the gains are predominantly seasonal and don’t necessarily indicate a real upturn in sales, Ford’s performance shows the nationalistic nature of sales. Namely, Ford is showing a better ability to capitalize on the collapse of GM and Chrysler than Toyota. In a nutshell, the “Buy American” attitude means that buyers who are moving away from GM and Chrysler are much more likely to move toward Ford than Toyota.

This is to be expected- and Toyota can look at the figures and say that it fared well compared to the bulk of its competition. While Toyota’s year-on-year sales are down 36.6%, other companies had bigger losses. GM decreased by 45%; Chrysler fell by 39.3%; and even sales at Ford are down by 40.9%. Honda suffered slightly less than Toyota, with year-on-year sales off by 33.7%.

Toyota Division
Toyota Division passenger cars recorded March sales of 73,385 units, down 33.6% from the same period last year. Camry and Camry Hybrid remained Toyota’s volume leader in March, posting combined monthly sales of 25,783 units. Corolla recorded sales of 22,257 units. Yaris reported sales of 5,888 units for the month; The Prius posted sales of 8,924 units.

Toyota Division light trucks posted March sales of 45,178 units, down 39.7% from the year-ago month. Light truck sales were led by the RAV4 compact SUV with sales of 11,899 units. The Tacoma mid-size pickup reported sales of 9,444 units for the month; the Tundra full-size pickup recorded March sales of 5,547 units. Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined sales of 5,404 units.

Scion posted March sales of 4,663 units. The xB urban utility vehicle led the way with sales of 2,090 units. The tC sports coupe recorded sales of 1,545 units. The xD reported sales of 1,027 units for the month.

Lexus Division
Lexus passenger cars reported March sales of 7,212 units, a decrease of 49.6% from March 2008. Passenger car sales were led by the ES entry luxury sedan with March sales of 3,225 units. The IS entry luxury sport sedan posted combined sales of 2,432 units. The LS flagship luxury sedan recorded combined sales of 852 units. The GS luxury sport sedan reported combined March sales of 625 units.

Lexus Division light trucks recorded March sales of 7,027 units, down 27.3% from the year-ago month. Lexus sales were led by the RX luxury utility vehicle, which posted combined March sales of 6,177 units. The RX 400h hybrid luxury utility vehicle reported sales of 1,165 units for the month.

TMS Hybrids
TMS posted March sales of 13,747 hybrid vehicles. Toyota Division recorded sales of 12,515 hybrids for the month. Lexus Division reported March sales of 1,232 hybrids.

Toyota Inventory
Recent efforts to cut production in order to reduce inventory have shown progress, with total TMS inventory down 26.6 percent in the first quarter.

There were 25 selling days this month, compared to 26 selling days last March.

Lexus has announced new manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) for select 2009 model vehicles manufactured after April 1, 2009. The new MSRPs reflect a $150 increase.

The base MSRPs for the IS 250 and IS 350 entry luxury sport sedans will increase 0.4 percent overall. The IS 250 rear-wheel drive (RWD) model with a manual transmission and the IS 250 RWD with an automatic transmission will carry base MSRPs of $31,305 and $32,475, respectively. The IS 250 all-wheel drive (AWD) will have a base MSRP $34,935, while the IS 350 will carry a base MSRP of $36,755. The base MSRP for the IS F high-performance luxury sedan will increase 0.3 percent to $56,760.

The base MSRP for the ES 350 entry luxury sedan will increase 0.4 percent to $34,470.
The GS 350 and GS 460 luxury sport sedans will increase 0.3 percent overall. The GS 350 RWD and AWD models will carry new base MSRPs of $45,000 and $46,950, respectively. The GS 460 will carry a base MSRP of $53,470. The base MSRP for the GS 450h hybrid model will increase 0.3 percent to $56,550.

The base MSRP for the LS 460 and LS 460 L flagship luxury sedans will have an overall increase of 0.2 percent. The LS 460 and the long-wheelbase LS 460 L will have a base MSRP of $63,825 and $73,735, respectively. The recently introduced AWD versions of the LS 460 and LS 460 L will carry base MSRPs of $67,350 and $77,260, respectively. The base MSRP for the LS 600h L hybrid will increase 0.1 percent to $106,035.

The base MSRP for the LX 570 luxury utility vehicle will increase 0.2 percent to $75,855.

Lexus MSRPs do not include a delivery, processing and handling (DPH) fee of $825.

The Lexus HS 250h will be the first vehicle to offer Toyota’s new telematics systems. Lexus Enform with Safety Connect will be available on the dedicated luxury hybrid sedan when it goes on sale late this summer.

The services will be available by subscription and offered on navigation-equipped HS vehicles. Additionally, Safety Connect services will be available separate of Lexus Enform on all non-navigation HS sedans, also by subscription.

Safety Connect serves as the cornerstone of the HS 250h’s new telematics offerings and will provide fundamental safety and security services to help extend confidence to HS drivers on the road.

“While a portion of the industry appears to be migrating to reliance upon wireless handheld devices to deliver in-vehicle safety, we’ve followed our engineering insights and Toyota’s G-Book and G-Link roots in Japan,” said Bucci. “Based on our experience and research, our core safety and security technology is embedded in the vehicle to help ensure reliability and responsiveness.”

Safety Connect will include the following four safety and security facets:

Automatic Collision Notification (ACN)
Safety Connect’s ACN will help drivers receive the necessary response from emergency teams. In the event of severe collision, the response center will be automatically notified via embedded cellular technology and GPS. Once the response-center agent receives the vehicle ID and the vehicle’s location, the agent can speak with the driver to ascertain the level of emergency. If the driver is unable to communicate, the agent automatically treats the call as an emergency. The response center agent then uses the vehicle’s GPS location to determine the nearest Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) available to provide emergency support and will offer to stay on the line until emergency assistance arrives.

Stolen Vehicle Location (SVL)
Safety Connect subscribers will be able to rely on an extra level of security in the event that their vehicle is stolen. If this should happen, Safety Connect will assist in tracking the location of the stolen vehicle using the vehicle’s GPS. Once a police report has been filed and the owner contacts the Safety Connect call center to report the theft, call center agents will assist local authorities to help recover the vehicle—keeping the owner apprised of the progress.

Emergency Assistance Button (SOS)
All Safety Connect–enabled vehicles will come equipped with an SOS button, with the call center’s 24-hour emergency assistance only a press away. When an emergency situation develops, subscribed customers will be able to quickly reach the Safety Connect response center to communicate their emergency. Again using embedded cellular and GPS technology, the agent will assess the situation and dispatch the necessary assistance based on the type of emergency.

Roadside Assistance
When a driver encounters problems on the road, the Safety Connect response center will be available for roadside assistance 24 hours a day via the SOS button. Call center agents will help drivers receive aid for a wide range of needs, such as towing, jump start, flat tire, fuel delivery, etc. With this service, drivers will not need to rely on additional membership organizations for roadside coverage to help them get back on the road.

All Safety Connect calls will be sent directly to Toyota’s dedicated, specialized telematics response center operated by ATX Group, a leading provider of global automotive telematics services for over a decade.

Lexus Enform

Lexus Enform services will provide a diverse assortment of offerings ranging from operator-assisted destination entry to up-to-the-minute weather reports. The cornerstones of Lexus Enform are two convenience-based services: Destination Assist and eDestination. With these features, the HS 250h becomes a virtual information tool—giving drivers the ability to send and receive the data they choose and need along the way. Both services also rest on the solid foundation of Toyota’s dedicated ATX call center.

Destination Assist
Live-operator assistance with finding destinations will be just the press of a button away with Destination Assist. While either parked or driving, subscribed HS drivers will be able to easily connect to an operator to ask for help finding local points of interest from dining to gas stations, dry cleaners to museums. As an added bonus to Lexus drivers, Zagat’s best-in-breed restaurant content will also be available via Destination Assist.

Destination Assist operators will help steer drivers to the nearest or preferred destination, locating either the specific business or address requested or offering nearby choices for, for example, a specific type of cuisine or nearby business or service. Once the driver tells the operator their choice, the destination is sent wirelessly to the vehicle’s navigation system.

eDestination
An expedient self-service feature of Lexus Enform is eDestination, which will allow the HS drivers to go online, via the Lexus.com owners’ Web site, to select and organize destinations of their choice and then send them wirelessly to their vehicle. From a personal computer, Lexus Enform-subscribed HS owners will be able to simply log in to their account and search for destinations by one of three options, point of interest (POI) name, category, or address, in Lexus’ POI database—the same nationwide database in the vehicle’s navigation system.

By entering either a city and state or a Zip code with their search option, users will receive a numbered list of relevant choices all called out on a map screen. The user will then simply select the destination of their choice and save it to either an existing or new folder. When finished, the user simply selects “save to vehicle” and their personalized destinations will be available to load into the vehicle’s navigation system upon the next start up. Going hand in hand with the quality Lexus drivers have come to expect and rely upon in Lexus vehicles, Lexus Enform drivers will also have easy online access to Zagat-rated restaurants nationwide via eDestination.

With eDestination, subscribed HS drivers will be able to build a destination library of up to 20 customized folders, with up to 10 destinations per folder—meaning an unprecedented total of 200 personalized destinations being sent to the vehicle. The folder cache will remain online for users to save or update as they see fit. For example, folders with the addresses of friends, family, or favorite local restaurants can be saved and maintained while new folders can be created for specific occasions—a vacation (“Road Trip to Boston”) or business meetings (“LA Biz Travel”)—and updated to meet current plans. With this feature, HS drivers will be able to plan trips easily and in advance, and even update along the way using a personal computer.

Flexible Voice Interface

The HS 250h’s Lexus Enform navigation platform will automatically include the updated voice recognition system currently only available on the MY10 Lexus RX. This new voice recognition system, called voice command, features VoiceBox Technology’s award-winning, patented Conversational Voice Search, and allows drivers more flexible, easier access and control.

Voice command software enhances standard voice recognition and functions as a supplementary layer “on top” of the existing voice recognition system, an application not seen before in the automotive world. Without voice command, users must speak commands in a specific order, e.g., “Phone > Dial by Name > Dial Bob.” Now this same task can be completed simply by saying, “Call Bob at home.” The voice command system also works to control many functions of the audio system, heating and air conditioning, and the navigation system. Commands such as, “Make it cooler,”

“Let’s find XM channel 46,” “Show me Japanese restaurants,” and “I need a gas station along my route” make tasks easier to accomplish, in fewer steps, with more flexible speech, and help allow drivers to focus more on the road ahead. Voice command technology will be standard on all navigation-equipped HS vehicles and will not require a Lexus Enform subscription.

Mobile Audio Casts with Lexus Insider

With Lexus Insider, a complimentary service on all Lexus Enform navigation-equipped vehicles, HS drivers will be able to listen to audio broadcasts in their vehicles with the push of a button. A first in the industry, brief “hot topic” audio programs, hand selected for Lexus customers, will be sent regularly to vehicles and then available in the vehicle for drivers to enjoy whenever they see fit. Automatic notifications of new audio casts will be available, or drivers will be able to select not to receive notifications. Drivers who prefer not to receive the broadcasts will be able to easily opt out of the service.

Lexus Insider topics may include such things as vehicle technology insights, with tips on model-specific Lexus vehicles and their capabilities; updates on Lexus-exclusive regional events; and selections from Lexus magazine lifestyle articles. Additionally, customers will also receive Lexus Insider insights into exclusive destinations appealing to Lexus drivers. As a service available only to Lexus drivers, the audio-cast files can include downloadable points of interest, which can be loaded into the navigation system as destinations.

Because broadcast data transmission to automobiles is necessarily complicated by the unpredictable nature of when, and for how long, vehicles will be powered on, Lexus Insider makes use of innovative technology to optimize delivery. Thus equipped, Lexus Enform vehicles can successfully receive audio casts in spite of disruptions to transmissions—helping to ensure that listeners receive Lexus Insider stories seamlessly and without complications.

XM – Beyond Radio

Also part of Lexus Enform’s navigation-based services set, a variety of innovative XM services will be available, and factory ready, on the HS 250h. Available XM satellite radio programming and its available “Best of SIRIUS” content will be standard equipment on the HS (requires subscription).

Additionally, the HS will feature XM NavTraffic® and XM NavWeatherTM services.

XM NavTraffic informs the driver of current traffic conditions with real-time traffic displays. When traffic problems are detected, in order to avoid them the navigation system alerts the driver so that the route can be adjusted. XM NavWeather will provide near real-time weather conditions as well as spoken and nav-screen forecasts, both based on official National Weather Service data.

Lexus Enform’s navigation platform will also bring to the HS XM® Sports and Stocks, a service included with an XM audio program subscription, which will provide in-car personalized updates on customer-selected sports and stocks, so HS drivers will be able to stay connected to their favorite teams and investment data while on the road. Additionally, many functions of all XM services will be accessible via Lexus Enform’s advanced voice command system, adding a new level of flexibility.

Standard XM satellite radio programming, XM NavTraffic and XM NavWeather services will offer three-month trials, after which subscriptions will be required.

Subscriptions

Included one-year trial subscriptions of Safety Connect and Lexus Enform will be offered upon new HS 250h vehicle purchases. Safety Connect and Lexus Enform subscription options and pricing for subsequent years of service will be announced closer to the vehicle’s on-sale date.

Lexus EnformTM with Safety ConnectTM Features

Premium Lexus Enform Services*
Destination Assist
eDestination
Safety Connect Safety and Security Features*
Automatic Collision Notification
Stolen Vehicle Location
Emergency Assistance Button (SOS)
Roadside Assistance
Additional Lexus Enform Services
Voice Command
Lexus Insider
XM® NavTraffic*
XM® NavWeather*
XM® Sports & Stocks*

*Subscription required