We’re seeing out our Tundra series in style. Over the past few weeks, you’ve heard all about the amazing new 2022 Tundra and the things it can do. Now it’s time to sit down with digital creator, marketer, and former engineer, Cody Wilhide, for his insights into the new vehicle.

Then, after that, we’ve saved the best for last. We’re speaking to the President of Toyota Manufacturing right here in Texas, himself, Kevin Voelkel. He gives us an amazing insight into what it takes to pull something together like creating and launching a brand new vehicle. Normally, we speak to people focused on one specific area of manufacture rather than going straight to the person at the top! 

This is the final part in this four-part series, so if you enjoy it, make sure you’ve also listened to parts one through three. And there’s also our entire back catalog for you to enjoy, covering everything from the history of Toyota to some amazing human interest stories where we hear the ways Toyota has touched ordinary people’s lives for the better. 

Resources:

• All-New 2022 Toyota Tundra is Ready to Rock the Full-Size Segment
• All-New Capstone Grade Elevates 2022 Toyota Tundra to New Heights
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Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media.

Think you’re the world’s ultimate Land Cruiser fan? Chances are Greg Miller’s got you beat. After finding himself with six of them in his collection, he realized that no one was preserving the history of the Land Cruiser like he was. That’s when The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum was born. 

The celebration of all things Land Cruiser is based in Salt Lake City with the goal of inspiring adventure. But today’s story takes us WAY beyond Utah. Greg has driven Land Cruisers on every single continent on earth (not a typo). 

Land Cruisers have been a part of his life since he was four years old. His dad used to work for Toyota and he would sometimes get to play in the cars and pretend he was actually driving them. Little did he know that he’d one day become one of the world’s leading Land Cruiser experts.

In today’s episode, you’ll hear all about Expedition7, the amazing worldwide Land Cruiser-based undertaking that Greg spearheaded, as well as what goes into setting up and running a museum of such scale and polish. How do you transport Land Cruisers around the world? And what can you expect when you go to visit? Don’t miss this adventurous new episode. 

Resources:

The Land Cruiser Heritage Museum

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media.

The celebration of the next generation 2022 Tundra continues with our third episode in a four-part Tundra series. You can read all about a car’s specs, but there’s no substitute for actually getting up close and hands on. In this episode, we’re taking several guests inside the new Tundra to see the amazing features that the next gen has to offer, firsthand.

We’re joined by Kevin Kavanagh, Ken Bolido, and Austin Evans. How do these real life driving enthusiasts feel about the new model? How do they actually feel to drive – or just ride in? And which new features really make the 2022 Tundra stand out above its competition? All this and more in Tundra Series: Part 3!

Resources:

• All-New 2022 Toyota Tundra is Ready to Rock the Full-Size Segment
• All-New Capstone Grade Elevates 2022 Toyota Tundra to New Heights
•  

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media.

Toyota Untold continues to celebrate the recent release of the next generation 2022 Tundra with part two in a four-part series looking behind the curtain on the new model and its development. This week, we plug into its brand new infotainment system and explore all the added benefits, data, and functionality available at drivers’ fingertips in the 2022 Tundra.

Smart, seamless tech is an expectation of modern drivers, a trend Toyota is well familiar with. Joining us are two of the most knowledgeable people in the world on the subject, Greg Blalock, Toyota’s Manager of Customer Solutions for Connected Technologies, and Mike Sweers, the 2022 Tundra’s Global Truck Chief Engineer. Both are focused on improving the driver experience by leveraging the mountains of data now available to both Toyota and its customers.

From the glamorous 14-inch touchscreen, to cloud-based maps, intelligent assistant voice recognition, and a new customer-centric menu structure, if you came looking for details, you’ve arrived at the right place. Make a pit stop for fuel and snacks. Better yet, connect to your new audio multimedia system and turn it up. Parts three and four of the Tundra series are just ahead.

Resources:

• 2022 Toyota Tundra Infotainment Review: A Million Times Better
• All-New 2022 Toyota Tundra is Ready to Rock the Full-Size Segment
• All-New Capstone Grade Elevates 2022 Toyota Tundra to New Heights

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media.

Timeless ‘60s styling, movie star status, $1 million price tag, and a backstory for the ages – what doesn’t the 2000GT have? Though only a few hundred were ever manufactured, this iconic speedster stands as one of Toyota’s, and the world’s, most memorable vehicles.

Why? For starters, Japan’s first supercar blew the doors off of what the world thought of the then-humble Toyota name, giving the upstart brand invaluable credence and credibility in the American marketplace. Often referred to as a halo car, the 2000GT deeply influenced Toyota’s place in the automotive industry and earned a permanent place in performance vehicle history.

The perfect model or toy car, the 2000GT sports one of the most attractive shapes and styling packages ever put on the road; but movie buffs will remember it most fondly from its co-starring role in a certain 1967 action film, the fifth installment of a franchise that recently released its twenty-sixth feature, currently showing in theatres around the world. 

The world’s most famous big screen superspy still rules the box office today – just as the 2000GT remains one of his most revered rides, even if he never actually drove it (more on that in the episode).

We’re joined by Ross Scharphorn, professional stunt driver and car chase historian; Derrick Heydari, Product Development Engineer, Toyota North America; and Drew Eleazar, Senior Development Engineer, Toyota North America, for a fun roundtable conversation that zigs and zags from the 2000GT’s inspiration and launch, to its specs, tech, and place in movie history.

Shake a martini and fire up your backseat vision phone – we’ve chopped the top and set our sights on Tokyo, Japan, 1967.

Resources

• Toyota 2000GT Sold At Auction for $1.2m
• Daniel Craig’s Favorite Bond Car
• Photos: 1967 – 1968 Toyota 2000GT
• Collectible Classic: 1967-70 Toyota 2000GT
• Ross Scharphorn: IMDB
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Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media

Toyota Untold is celebrating the highly anticipated release of the next generation 2022 Tundra with a special series, starting with a wholesome fireside chat with U.S. Air Force Veteran, DIY Tundra overlander, and lifelong Toyota driver, Jeff Buchenroth. Jeff outfitted his 2016 Tundra to tour the country’s National Parks and shares his experiences with us today...many of which share themes of the kindness and kindred spirit that he’s found on the road, from Glacier to Yellowstone and many stops in between.

Following Jeff, our friend Kevin Kavanagh, the leader of the pack at Tundras to Sedona, takes us into the desert with more than one-hundred other Tundras, their owners, pets, and families, to tell us all about the largest off-road Tundra event in the world (even though they don’t like to brag).

We’re just getting started with Tundra SNZ here at Toyota Untold. Check back in the coming weeks for parts two through four which feature deep dives into the stunning new tech and category shifting capabilities of the 2022 next-gen Tundra.

Resources:

• Tundras to Sedona
• All-New 2022 Toyota Tundra is Ready to Rock the Full-Size Segment

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media

It seems like everything has changed in the last eighteen months. Live events and promotions, specifically, are an area that will likely never be the same. This summer, Toyota leaned into this shift with a brand new, all-inclusive event space hosted at Toyota USA headquarters in Plano, Texas, that previewed upcoming news for select members of the automotive media landscape. 

The result was a one-of-a-kind, multi-day brand presentation, one that very well could redefine the model moving forward. Media guests, most from nontraditional outlets, came from all over the country to (safely) experience the latest and greatest from Toyota and Lexus. Highlights touched on every area of the business: cars, trucks, crossovers, electrification, user tech, safety, design, reveals, updates, and so much more.

What goes into a brand new project like this? How is prep different from typical promo campaigns, and how did its guests feel about what they experienced? Tune in to hear more from Nathan Kokes, Toyota Product Communications Senior Manager, and Chris Carter, Senior Manager, Lexus PR and Engagement, about how this unique event came together and what it means for the future of auto shows. 

Resources:

• Toyota New Product Showcase
• All Electric SUV (bZ4X)
• '22 Corolla Cross
• Tacoma TRD Pro
• 4Runner TRD Sport
• All New GR 86
• Exclusive GR Supra A91-CF Edition
• '22 Tacoma Trail Edition 4x4
• Toyota Ventures rebrand

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media

Grab some popcorn, Josh Brooks has a story to tell. As a boy, a classic vehicle in his neighborhood caught his eye — a stunning ‘79 Toyota Starlet. Like most people, though, he’d nod his head in approval and go on with his life… to school, the park, or wherever a kid might spend his time in the small town of Radstock, England. 

That’s where the story takes a turn into the uncommon. The experiences shared by Josh, the car, and its original owner in the decades following these sightings were as uncommon as they were endearing. What’s more, they’re truly representative of the family-minded approach that Toyota aims to embody every day.

As you may have guessed from the title, yes, the neighborhood Starlet has been marvelously restored to its original state (other than a set of modern tires) and now drives through its hometown with celebrity-like fanfare. Josh is sure that it deserves it’s own “verified check” on social media. You’ll hear the pride he has in it, and its story, come through in his voice. We’re just as proud to share it, here on Toyota Untold. 

The heartwarming details of this tale, though, are best left to its main character. We promise, by the end of this episode, you’ll be looking for airfare to England on a mission to ride in this amazing one-of-a-kind vehicle — just don’t expect to sit in the back seat.

Resources:

• Toyota People: Josh Brooks, classic Starlet restorer
• History of the Toyota Starlet
• global.com/company/history_of_toyota/75years/vehicle_lineage/car/id60006941/index.html">Toyota Starlet: Vehicle lineage 

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media

Still going strong (and into space!), the “Fast” film franchise is one the highest-grossing the movie industry has ever seen and shows no signs of slowing down. Sure, superstar names like Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson take top billing, but the franchise is built on fast cars – none more famous and sought-after worldwide than Paul Walker’s orange Gladiator Supra featured prominently in “The Fast and the Furious” (2001).

We’re joined by Craig Lieberman, original owner of the film’s primary, hero vehicle, a 1994 Toyota Supra MK IV. We go behind the scenes and dig into what it was like to lend his expert knowledge and eye-popping cars to such a high-profile production. How did the arrangement come to be? Which actors could really drive? How real were the most dynamic driving scenes? Craig shares his perspective as only someone in the driver’s seat possibly could.

After his Supra was “discovered” by movie producers and brought into the fold for filming, Craig provided consultation on all things auto for the first two “Fast” films. His deep knowledge of tuner culture and Japanese performance vehicles were key in the film’s initial (and ongoing) impact on the scene – after having ignited an explosion in the modifications industry and indoctrinating a new generation of auto enthusiasts around the world.

We discover what happened to the Supra after filming and hear about Craig’s new and influential place in the scene, boasting over 174k insatiably curious YouTube subscribers and over 129k Instagram followers that pepper him with questions on a daily basis.

Craig was a fantastic interview; we’re thankful that he set aside time to talk with us about his (and his car’s) unique place in movie history. Buckle up, this one’s fast. 

Resources:

• Craig Lieberman - Website
• Craig Lieberman - YouTube
• Craig Lieberman - Instagram

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media

The driver-vehicle relationship is changing quickly. From sensors to cameras, AI and other smart-enabled tech, it’s starting to seem like vehicles are more computer than they are car. In this episode, Toyota research scientists, John Lenneman, Ph.D., and Josh Domeyer, Ph.D., join us to address common curiosities and answer questions—while posing many more.

That’s the nature of the job, it seems. Both are proud, self-admitted nerds, passionate about problem solving and discovery, especially as they relate to safety in the auto industry and beyond. They detail their academic journeys to Toyota and explain, in layman’s terms, the whys and hows behind their work, and that of the research community in general.

Grab a notepad and tune in to The Psychology of Driving for this Toyota-powered introductory course on behavioral research, and explore the resource links to learn more about specific studies or organizations discussed in this episode.

Resources:

• John Lenneman, Ph.D., Linkedin
• John Lenneman, Ph.D., Google Scholar
• Josh Domeyer, Ph.D., Google Scholar
• How Vehicles Talk to Pedestrians
• Toyota Collaborative Safety Research Center (CSRC)
• MIT AgeLab study
• UW-Madison study

Toyota Untold is co-produced with Crate Media