Creeping Into Spring

Houston can't seem to decide if it wants to be in Spring or Winter. One day it is one, the next, the other. I'll take the warm weather while we have it though. We at Gullo Toyota are always grateful for sunny days, because that means people are out milling about the lot. We love to see that! It is on days like today that people wonder what they really want, "Camry or Corolla? Tundra or Tacoma? Highlander or Rav4? Maybe I want a 4Runner?" Decisions, decisions. Don't stress, though, that is what our sales consultants are here for! They can help you make those decisions and figure out what you want vs. what you need. It may be that you'd prefer a used car instead of a new one. Thank goodness we can help you out there too!

It may be that you aren't looking for a car, but today is still a perfect day to drop your car off in service or the body shop. Take advantage of the weather, and the wait, and spend some time outside while your car is being worked on. There are plenty of parks in the Conroe and Woodlands area that you could spend some time at. A little later in the season it would even be warm enough for a trip to SplashTown in Spring by 1960. Whatever you decide to do today, make the most of it, it is too beautiful to stay inside!

Please visit our website for any information you may need, www.gullotoyota.com

Toyota Responds to Questions about Its R&D Spending

Before reading the following article, please note that as of yesterday, the Yen was trading 81 yen/$1. This calculates to $25.7M per day in R&D.

In response to recent questions about Toyota’s advertising claim that it spends $1 million an hour on research and development to enhance its technology and safety, the company issued the following statement today:

In our effort to develop the cars and technologies of the future, Toyota's Research & Development commitment generates numerous advancements in the interrelated areas of vehicle safety, quality, durability and sustainability.

On May 11, 2010, TMC projected spending 760 billion yen on R&D during this fiscal year (April 1, 2010 – March 31, 2011). The exchange rate used for those projections was 90 Japanese yen to the dollar. As a result, TMC is expecting to spend approximately 8.44 billion in U.S. dollars on R&D this year. When you divide that number by 365 days of the year, it comes out to $23,123,287 dollars per day. Divide that by 24 hours in a day and the result is $963,470 per hour. With the yen and dollar currencies constantly moving up and down against each other, we thus believe that, over the course of the year, Toyota’s R&D spending will average around one million U.S. dollars per hour – the number set forth in our ads. Toyota spent a similar amount on R&D in the previous fiscal year.

Further, in a recent study, the consulting firm Booz & Company identified Toyota as spending more on Research and Development than any other corporation in 2009, the third straight year Toyota has held that distinction. That study can be found here: http://www.booz.com/media/uploads/Innovation_1000-2009.pdf

In fact, the auto industry is typically a leader in R&D spending. According to that same Booz & Company study, the auto industry spends $86 billion per year on research and development, more than any other manufacturing industry. According to the study, for 2009, three out of the world’s top 10 R&D companies were automakers.

Gullo Charity Golf Tournament

The Gullo Companies just had the Gullo Charity Golf Tournament yesterday. The tournament was a HUGE success, and we had a great turnout. For the tournament, we get our vendors, and local companies to sponsor holes, or play in teams. It is really a fun event, and everyone enjoys it every year. We start of by serving breakfast to the players as they arrive; this year we had eggs, bacon, tortillas, and croissants, along with a bunch of fruit. Then everyone goes and plays their 18 holes of golf. After everyone finishes golfing, then lunch is served. Lunch was great this year! We had fried catfish, grilled catfish, fried shrimp, sausage, corn, beans, and coleslaw! I think that is the pure definition of a countrified meal. After lunch, doorprizes are given away, and the winners are announced. All proceeds of the tournament benefit the Gullo Christmas for Kids charity, where we help out families in need in Montgomery County.

Bass Classic

I'm so excited because the Toyota Texas Bass Classic is coming up so soon. With Gullo Toyota being located in Conroe, we are thrilled that the Bass Classic is right in our backyard for the second year in a row. It draws people from all over the Houston area, and rightfully so; there is food, music, fishing, and fun! As you can imagine, since it is the Toyota Texas Bass Classic, there are plenty of Toyotas out at the venue. Toyota typically advertises the trucks and SUVs, so there are always Tundras, Tacomas, 4Runners, Highlanders, and Sequoias out there. Although they do include some of the smaller cars as well. Last year the Prius and Yaris were being advertised too. Hopefully many of you decide to go out there!

School Has Begun!

We, here at Gullo Toyota, want to wish everyone a happy school year. I know most everyone, including college kids, have started back to school now, and that means that football is upon us! Here at Gullo Toyota we are big supporters of the Montgomery County schools, so that means we're looking forward to watching the Conroe Tigers, Woodlands Highlanders, College Park Cavaliers, Oak Ridge War Eagles, and everyone else go head to head this football season! It's hard to believe that another school year has started back up. It's not too late, though, to still get that perfect car to take back to school, so come out and see what we have so that you can get around campus in style!

Latest issue of "Behind the Wheel with Gullo Toyota"

We have just launched our third issue of "Behind the Wheel with Gullo Toyota." I am so exited that the newsletter is doing well, and I look forward to its release every month. Here is the link for the newsletter so please check it out!

http://www.imakenews.com/gullotoyota/

So Close

We are so close to finishing construction here at Gullo Toyota! The walls have been painted and the floor is almost complete, and we're being told that we get to occupy the new showroom on Monday morning. It is so exciting! Everything looks great, and we are thrilled because there is enough room to put more vehicles. There will definitely be enough room to put both a Tundra and a Sequoia on the showroom, as well as some smaller cars like Camry and Corolla. Even if we don't put everything inside, we will still be able to put more cars like the Venza and 4Runner outside on the patio. It is really nice that we've upgraded to the Toyota Image II plan because now we have the same unified look as Fred Haas Toyota down the road. It is really nice to have a consistent feel with other Toyota stores in the area, that way customers have a "familiar" feel when they walk inside. We are so ready for everything to be complete, and it is so close.