Those in the Boardman area already know they can turn to Toyota for innovative, eco-friendly vehicles (i.e. the Toyota Prius). But did you know that you can turn to the automaker for grant funding as well? That's right. Toyota, along with its green partner The National Audubon Society, is now taking applications for its TogetherGreen Fellowship and TogetherGreen Grant programs.

Toyota has been providing comfort and peace of mind for families for years now. Take for instance, the 2012 Toyota Camry. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the sedan a perfect safety rating thus signifying that the model is designed with driver/passenger protection in mind. Yet Toyota does more than take care of families through the production of ultra-safe, dependable new Toyota models. The automaker reaches out to communities in need as well.

Toyota has held the hybrid crown for quite some time now. But in order to keep its reign intact, the automaker will have to bolster its current Toyota Prius offerings and bring new hybrid leaders into the royal mix as well. Thankfully, that's exactly what Toyota plans to do.

For those who stay tuned to our Toyota of Boardman blog, you're probably aware of the recent expansions and celebrations for U.S.-based Toyota Production. One of the more noteworthy milestones includes the Georgetown, KY Toyota facility's 25^th anniversary. While this landmark was certainly a cause for joy and congratulations, the plant has even more to celebrate now. Thanks to the hard work of some 7,000 odd team members, it will be able to export models of the Toyota Camry to South Korea.

According to a recent article by the BBC, American teenagers today hold less interest in cars and more interest in connective technologies such as phones, computers, etc. Where owning your own vehicle used to signify personal freedom and individual rite of passage, now youngsters earn social cred via smartphones or iPods. With this trend in the background, Toyota set out to build a truly awe-inspiring concept known as the "smartphone on four wheels."¹

For the 2011 SEMA Show, Toyota took a number of its popular trucks, such as the 2012 Toyota Tacoma and 2012 Toyota Tundra, and tailored them to meet the needs of niche audiences. To ensure that wave-catchers can ride the road in style, the automaker created a surf-inspired Oakley Tacoma variant complete with extended roof-racks and even an integrated showering system. Right now, Toyota of Boardman would like to take a minute to tell you about a model that pays tribute to a more land-locked sport.

A symbol of Toyota quality and dependability, the Toyota Corolla received a few enhanced features for the 2012 model year such as a new audio system and remote keyless entry. Also for 2012, and beyond, it received a new home. This month our favorite automaker began to turn the Corolla production cranks at its new facility in Blue Springs, Mississippi.

Many automakers are releasing new hybrid and electric vehicle variant, however Toyota has recently made a complete breakthrough in environmentally-friendly fuel technology. The Toyota Biotechnology and Afforestation Laboratory developed a unique strand of yeast that may make giant leaps in the effective production of ethanol as an alternative fuel.

After over a decade of successful production in India, Toyota's Indian subsidiary, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) is planning to export its Etios and Etios Liva models to South Africa. If you aren't familiar with the Etios line, the model is available in four-door sedan and hatchback variants and specifically tailored for India's market. Not only are these models expected to blossom in the South African market but their exportation would mark a significant growth in global reach for Toyota.