This year is going to be remembered for many things. A lot has come up already in the first half of 2012, but Midtown Toyota has one thing that will last.

This year is also going to be the year that Toyota remembers for years into the future. That’s because its Toyota Prius c has been named one of the top 10 “Best Green Cars of 2012” by Kelly Blue Book. In fact, the Toyota Prius c earned the No. 1 spot on the list. That’s a lot of numbers, but we’re ready to break it down for you.

In ranking contenders, Kelly Blue Book considers car value, comfort and special features on top of fuel efficiency. At Midtown Toyota, we think they’ve made the right top pick. That’s because Kelly Blue Book understands that the Prius c offers seating for five people on top of ample cargo space and the ability to achieve 53 miles per gallon in the city. Did we mention that it’s affordable on top of all that? It is!

While 2012 may be the year for the Toyota Prius, 2011 models are still available in Berwyn! Stop into Midtown Toyota today to see what vehicle is right for you. A simple test drive is all you need to find the perfect Toyota for your garage.

Whether you’ll be driving home in a 2011 or 2012 Toyota Prius, there’s one thing that will last well beyond the cars’ model years, and that’s the lasting effects these vehicles have on the environment. No matter how long you drive your new Prius, green driving will never go out of style. And you can trust us because at Toyota, we know style.

We’ve all heard that April showers bring May flowers, but what do April sales bring? Happy customers.

At Midtown Toyota, we want each of our customers to drive away happy with their purchase, whether they’re behind the wheel of a 2012 Toyota Camry or 2009 Toyota Matrix.

When it comes to April 2012 sales, customers aren’t the only ones happy. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., is proud to report that 178,044 units were sold last month, comprising a 25.5-percent increase in daily selling rate and an 11.6-percent increase in unadjusted raw volume.

In addition to maintaining its position as the No. 1 retail brand for the second month in a row, Toyota reported that its Toyota Division experienced a 27.2-percent increase in sales, reaching 160,493 last month.

If you’re shopping for Toyota cars in the Berwyn area, consider this: the Toyota Camry has held up its status as the best-selling car in America, selling 36,820 units just last month – a 21-percent increase over April 2011. Hybrid Camry models alone saw a 346-percent increase in sales. Toyota Prius sales were just as impressive, hitting 25,168 last month. This number marks a 102-percent increase over last year and breaks the 2008 record for highest April sales.

While April 2012 showered Toyota with standout sales figures, the automaker has even higher hopes for the future, both for the brand and the industry as a whole. We at Midtown Toyota are excited, too, especially as the Toyota Division will extend its special lease rates on most models and zero-percent financing on Avalon, Corrolla, Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, Tundra and Venza models.

Pinterest? Yes, you know Pinterest. It’s the female dominated Website your sister/girlfriends/wife (insert crazed female here) spends all her free time pinning the things she likes onto digital pin boards.

With more than 10.4 million registered users, 97 percent of which are women, the content began mainly as recipes and a fashion forum. Not anymore. Now for so many, it is an ode to their Toyota.

Thousands of pictures labor home the message of a person’s love for their favorite car. The car they are working towards or their future family car.

But why Toyota?

While much of the world has suffered financially since 2008, Toyota’s sales and customer satisfaction has only risen. Toyota experienced one of the biggest gains in the US market last month. Toyota sales shot up 11.6 percent, spurred by passenger cars such as the Camry and the Prius.

Toyota’s success is said to derive from the Toyota Productive System known as “TPS”. The main objectives of the TPS are to design out “overburden” and “inconsistency” and “eliminate waste”. Many American companies have set out to follow this model, but are said to have failed because it was the act of “imitating without understanding.”

Visit Midtown Toyota or a local car dealer in Chicago, IL and find out why people love their Toyota.

Since 1997, with exception to 2001, the Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in America every year. Customer loyalty is strong, with 327,804 customers purchasing Camrys last year. It is for this reason Toyota is not reinventing the wheel but simply improving upon a product Midtown Toyota customers so avidly enjoy. The 2012 Camry however has made leaps and bounds forward with its elegance and technology, challenging the traditional sedan paradigm. With brand new styling, upgraded powertrain, and an all new audio system called Entune, with web connectivity options, they’ve blown even your mother’s notion of the Camry out of the water.

Standard transmission on the 2012 Toyota Camry includes a six automatic transmission, with a choice between a four and six cylinder engine.

The 2012 Toyota Camry offers a number of standard safety features, including full length side curtain airbags, rear seat side airbags, knee airbags for the driver and passenger, stability control, and anti lock brakes with brake assist; something to make any mother proud.

The Entune system also offers navigation services and audio capabilities as standard features of the all new infotainment system.  Entune includes three years of complimentary access to apps including Bing, iHeartRadio, MovieTickets.com, OpenTable, and Pandora. Entune offers a variety of data services such as fuel prices, sports, stocks, traffic, and weather.

The 2012 Camry can be found in all Toyota dealers in Chicagoland.

Toyota, the inventors of the ever-popular and quirky shaped Prius are at it again. With the help of electric car aficionado Tesla Motors, Inc., Toyota is planning to re-release the all-electric RAV4-EV later this year. Everyone here at Midtown Toyota, your Chicago Toyota dealer, is excited to see the final result.

The RAV 4 EV is part of a $50 million dollar agreement with Tesla Motors to collaborate on EV technology- featuring a lithium metal oxide battery and Tesla sourced electric motor.

As gas prices in Illinois average $4.01/gallon, the move to electric may be just what consumers are looking for. We definitely see the advantages of such a vehicle here in Chicago.

The RAV4-EV is an all-electric version of the RAV SUV produced by Toyota. The original model was released from 1997-2003; however, due to lease restrictions, the models were discontinued.

With continued support and as a finalist in the 2011 Green Vision Award, the re-engineered RAV4 EV production version is expected to be unveiled this month at the International Electric Vehicle Symposium in Los Angeles. The US Market Launch is scheduled for late 2012. The cars are expected to role out first in California and then hopefully to Chicago RAV 4 dealerships like Midtown Toyota soon after.

Will the RAV4 EV succeed the second time around with the same unexpected fervor of the Prius, or will the hype end as quickly as it did the first time around?  Car aficionados everywhere are waiting to see how this dynamic duo delivers. If you’d like to take a look at our current Rav4 inventory, or any of our other Chicagoland Toyota inventory, visit us at 2700 N. Cicero Ave. in Chicago, IL.

Here at Midtown Toyota we are thrilled to announce that Toyota is focusing more energy and resources on creating new hydrogen-powered vehicles. We plan on selling our first hydrogen-powered Toyota around 2015 when a Toyota fuel-cell vehicle is planned to be launched in the US. We’re hoping that in the next twenty years we’ll be able to offer our many loyal customers a variety of hydrogen-powered vehicles. Toyota is planning to be selling tens of thousands of hydrogen-powered vehicles every year by the year 2020, with Midtown Toyota as one of the selling locations.

“The fuel cell has the potential to replace the cars we have today. We will be producing it at our vehicle plants just as we are our other cars.” – Takeshi Uchiyamada, Director of Research and Development at Toyota Motor Company

• 2012 – Toyota begins testing hydrogen-powered fuel-cell cars in Japan
• 2013/2014 – Toyota begins testing hydrogen-powered fuel-cell cars in Europe and the US
• 2015 – Toyota launches initial sales of hydrogen powered fuel-cell sedan

We at Midtown Toyota are excited to announce that some of our the popular models on our lot are going to be offered for free to 100 nonprofit organizations this year in a Toyota program called 100 Cars for Good. Toyota will be giving away 100 cars to 100 nonprofits this year. The announcement came early this month and we are thrilled about this incredible program and Toyota’s continued effort to help nonprofits in 2012. Toyota is accepting applications from nonprofits for 100 Cars for Good through March 26 or until they receive 5,000 applications. Of the 5,000 applicants, 500 nonprofits will be carefully selected based on a number of attributes and each of those 500 nonprofits will be asked to submit a video discussing why a Toyota vehicle will help to improve their organization.

“At Toyota, we appreciate what a big difference a new car or truck can make for organizations that are doing so much to improve lives and strengthen communities across America,” Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Motor Sales

At Midtown Toyota we offer the many of the Toyota vehicles that will be a part of this incredible program including the Camry Hybrid, Prius v Hybrid, Highlander SUV, Tundra full-sized pickup, Sienna mini-van, and Sienna Mobility. The 100 nonprofits selected by the public will win one of these great Toyota models. The public will be able to vote on their favorite nonprofit organizations once the 5,000 applicants are narrowed down to 500. For 100 days straight, five nonprofits will be featured every day with their submission video and the reason why they need a Toyota vehicle for their organization. After the 100 days of public voting, the 100 winners will be announced and those selected nonprofits will get one of the Toyota models we offer here at Midtown Toyota. In Chicago, new Toyota drivers are proud to be a part of such a charitable community.

We at Midtown Toyota are excited to announce that the 2012 Toyota Camry and 2012 Toyota Avalon are having a great year. Many of our customers are driving off in these beautiful vehicles, which feature 6-speed automatic transmissions that are made at the Toyota plant in Buffalo, West Virginia. Recognizing the heightened demand, Toyota announced earlier this month that it will increase its yearly production of automatic transmissions at the Buffalo plant. The announcement came just a couple months after Toyota opened Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Mississippi (TMMMS), a Corolla production plant in Blue Springs, Mississippi that added nearly 2,000 jobs. Starting in November and projected to be completed by July 2013, Toyota will increase its annual production of 6-speed automatic transmissions from 400,000 to 520,000 units, creating about 80 new jobs in the West Virginia plant.

“I am so pleased that for the second time in approximately a year, Toyota will expand the Buffalo plant due to the success of their diligent, hard-working, and devoted employees. Toyota’s commitment to excellence coupled with the strong West Virginia work ethic is a match made for positive economic growth benefitting both the company and the community.” -West Virginia Governor Earl Ray Tomblin

We at Midtown Toyota and our friends with Toyota cars, Berwyn-residents and beyond, are thrilled to see the continued growth in Toyota and the new opportunities created through expansion. This news could not have come at a better time. In one of the harshest economic climates in history, the increase in transmission production will bring joy and opportunity to many people in West Virginia.

Here at Midtown Toyota we are excited to introduce the all new 2012 Toyota Avalon to our customers. The 2012 model has been slightly redesigned since last year, offering drivers new features such as a new front-end design, new headlights and taillights, and all-new wheels. The 2012 model is the largest Toyota passenger vehicle offered at Berwyn Toyota dealers and any Toyota dealer in the US. Even with its large size, the 2012 Toyota Avalon hits 0-60mph in just over 6 seconds thanks to a powerful 268-hp V6 automatic engine. The Avalon comes packed with luxury features including reclining rear seats, dual-zone climate control, leather seats, and a beautiful wood-trimmed interior. In addition to luxury features and new additions in look and feel of the 2012 model, the Avalon offers 20 miles per gallon city and 29 miles per gallon highway, making it a fuel efficient vehicle for its large size.

We have noticed an increase in customers at Midtown Toyota showing interest in the 2012 Toyota Avalon. This spacious and luxurious vehicle is holding its own against its expensive competition and capturing a market of customers looking for a high-end luxury vehicle at a more affordable rate. The 2012 Toyota Avalon offers drivers the opportunity to travel long distances in total comfort without spending a fortune. The new model comes standard with a four-speaker stereo and allows drivers to connect their Ipod or smartphone for easy listening. With two different luxury models to choose from, there’s an Avalon that fits everyone’s expectations. Come into our dealership today to drive and experience the completely new 2012 Toyota Avalon.

Here at Midtown Toyota we are excited to announce that the entire Toyota Prius Family has just been awarded the 2012 Motorweek Drivers’ Choice Award in the Best Eco-Friendly category. This award comes as a great honor to us as we pride ourselves in offering our customers some of the most fuel efficient vehicles on the market. The Motorweek Drivers’ Choice Award shortly after the Prius was voted as GreenCarReports Best Car to Buy in 2012.

Motorweek is one of the most trusted sources in the US for vehicle reviews and recommendations. The Drivers’ Choice Awards test over 150 vehicles on a number of characteristics including but not limited to performance, fuel efficiency, technology, and dollar value.

The Prius Family was one of the only grouped winners in the Drivers’ Choice Awards, with most categories awarding individual vehicles. The original Prius is the best-selling hybrid on the market and was the most fuel efficient hybrid until this year with the expansion of the Prius Family. The new Prius PHEV (plug-in hybrid) boasts a Toyota technology that allows the vehicle to run on an electric charge before it makes an easy transition into hybrid mode. The battery takes only 3 hours to fully charge on a standard outlet. The Prius C was designed with better fuel economy for city drivers than the original Prius, with more than 50MPG city.

The new Prius models won’t be released in every state right away, but in Berwyn, 2011 Toyota Prius vehicles are available and still boast the highest fuel efficiency in the market. We at Midtown Toyota are proud of our Prius Family and look forward to continued growth and excellence.