 News of November 16, 1999
Page 4 of 4
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Toyota's
Office of the Web to Guide Company's On-Line Efforts Dealers to be E-Commerce Partners
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| Torrance, CA, Nov. 10, 1999 - Culminating nearly a year of
careful preparation, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. today announced establishment
of Toyota’s Office of the Web, a group of top marketing and technology professionals
organized to unify the company’s electronic commerce programs. Toyota’s
Office of the Web is organized into six teams:
Business-to-Customer, led by National Manager Keith St. Clair;
Business-to-Business, headed by National Manager Jim Pisz;
Policy and Governance, led by National Manager Jon Bucci;
Innovations, headed by National Manager Peter Dames,
Customer Relationship Management reporting to Corporate Manager Michael Rouse and
Web Technology, reporting to National Manager Brian Beard.
The teams will be led by a newly created position of Vice President, Office of the Web,
which is in the process of being filled. The Office of the Web will report to J. Davis
Illingworth, senior vice president, planning and development. The Business-to-Customer
Team will develop standardized web content and navigation guidelines for all
electronic-business activity that contacts customers, including the award-winning
toyota.com and lexus.com web sites. In the future, www.toyota.com will roll out a national
system that will permit customers to select, configure and price vehicles, apply for
credit and communicate on line with their dealer. The company is currently working with
selected Toyota Dealer Associations to develop a joint Internet retailing pilot, launching
early next year.
|
Pestillo
named chairman and CEO of Visteon
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| DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 12, 1999 - Peter J. Pestillo has been appointed
chairman and chief executive officer, Visteon Automotive Systems, effective Jan. 1, 2000,
Ford Motor Company announced today. Pestillo is currently vice chairman and chief of
staff, Ford Motor Company, with responsibility for overseeing Visteon. Succeeding
Pestillo at Ford will be John M. Rintamaki, who is appointed group vice president and
chief of staff effective Jan. 1, 2000. Currently, Rintamaki is vice president, general
counsel.
|
Peter J. Pestillo
Photo: Ford |
New
Honda 2000 Accord Certified As Cleanest Gasoline-Powered Production Car In The World
— First SULEV on the Market
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| TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 9, 1999 - A 2000 Honda Accord model has been
certified by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to the new Super Ultra Low Emission
Vehicle (SULEV) standard, CARB announced today. The Accord SULEV will go on sale in
California by January 2000, making it the first gasoline SULEV on the market; well in
advance of requirements and continuing Honda's leadership in low emission technologies. |
Honda Accord Coupé
Photo: Honda |
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The new SULEV requirements are the most stringent in the world and part of the California
LEV-II exhaust emission standards that go into effect beginning in the 2004 model year.
The SULEV standards call for a reduction in hydrocarbon emissions of 96 percent from the
current federal Tier-1 passenger car levels, and an 86 percent reduction compared to the
California Low Emission Vehicle (LEV) standard. CARB says that a SULEV vehicle's engine
will emit only 2.3 pounds of ozone forming hydrocarbons during 100,000 miles of driving
-about the same result as spilling a quart of gasoline. The SULEV certification will
apply to the Accord EX sedan with a 4-cylinder, 2.3-liter engine and automatic
transmission. Building on Honda's advanced Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) technology,
it employs advanced electronic controls, Honda's patented VTEC (Variable valve Timing and
lift Electronic Control) engine, and new catalytic converter technology. Plans call for
about 500 Accord SULEV models to be sold each month in California.
Honda will also certify the 2000 Civic GX to the new SULEV standards. The Civic GX is
Honda's dedicated natural gas-powered vehicle and is available to fleet customers
nationwide. Since its introduction in 1998, the Civic GX has achieved emission levels that
are similar to the SULEV standards. The Civic GX is powered by the cleanest internal
combustion engine ever mass-produced.
|
Onstar
And General Magic Sign Agreement To Provide Voice Enabled Services In Vehicles
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| TROY, Mich., and SUNNYVALE, Calif., Nov. 10, 1999 - OnStar and
General Magic (Nasdaq: GMGC) today announced that OnStar has agreed to take an equity
stake of approximately $15 million in General Magic, makers of the innovative magicTalkTM
voice platform. OnStar has selected magicTalk as the voice user interface for the
OnStar Virtual Advisor, which will provide hands-free, voice-activated access to web-based
information services in vehicles. General Magic is expected to provide engineering,
network hosting and consulting services to OnStar as part of the ongoing relationship.
With the magicTalk core technology integrated into the OnStar Virtual Advisor, OnStar
subscribers will be able to access personalized information such as e-mail, sports,
weather, news and market headlines, all through easy-to-use voice interactions. Pending
regulatory review, the term of this agreement is three years, to begin in the fourth
quarter, 1999. |
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