Longest Antarctic expedition ever

In last week’s post, I promised that we would bring you a video highlighting the Hilux’s epic journey in the Antarctic. The video is a bit more than that though. In 2007, the Hilux became the first car to reach the Magnetic North Pole. Since then, it has conquered Icelandic volcanoes and an earlier Antarctic expedition, all to aid scientific research. Check it out after the break.

You’ll also find a diagram (thanks to Arctic Trucks) on how the Toyota Hilux vehicles were prepared to tackle the extremes of the South Pole.

Hilux at the South Pole

100 years ago, Amundsen and Scott set off on their epic race across the Antarctic – at the time, one of the least explored and least understood places on the planet, and still is one of the most hostile – on their way to claim the South Pole. In the past few months, a team of Toyota Hilux, Land Cruiser and Tacoma vehicles prepared by Arctic Trucks (the guys behind the Hilux used by Top Gear to reach the North Pole) followed the footsteps of the pioneers and broke a few records along the way. (More after the break)

2012 Toyota Hilux

The car display in the atrium of our offices in Brussels recently underwent a refresh. Currently, an all-new 2012 Hilux is sitting there in all its magnificence. Whenever I walk past the pick-up (or “bakkie” as it is called in my native South Africa), I keep being reminded of a fond memory from my first week with the company.

Back in 2007, I attended an orientation programme for new recruits. The three day training concluded with a trip to Toyota Motor Manufacturing France to see the Yaris being built, in proper “genchi genbutsu” style – a Toyota Way concept which means going to source to understand how things are done.

New Yaris

It was the summer of ‘99. I was working at a car dealer, enjoying a chat with the owner – a happy man renowned as one of the best dealers of its brand in France. The two of us had a small debate about the future of one particular new model. He was not so convinced about its market potential in Europe, whereas I was much more optimistic. The car looked fresh. It was going to be built in France and a major step-up for its manufacturer. We were talking about Toyota’s new model, the Yaris.

I joined the Corporate Communications team last month, having already been in Toyota for the last three years. My main tasks are to cover both internal and external communications. Late last week, while putting together our internal newsletter, I picked up some news from our colleagues in Germany which I found pretty exciting for both of my audiences so I thought I’d share it with you.