Automakers have made attempts to create more environmentally friendly factories before. Subaru even leveraged its zero landfill factory in Indiana as part of an advertising campaign. But Toyota looks to have raised the bar to a new height by engineering two new flowering plants to help clean the air at its Toyota City factory in Japan.

Toyota Motor Corporation has recently announced that they will be bringing their marketing and advertising efforts based out of Japan in-house – forming two as yet unnamed entities that will handle domestic (Japan) and global marketing, respectively.  The move is intended to streamline Toyota’s marketing activities, bringing them closer to their consumers and allowing for a more localized message.
In addition, the aim is to carry out marketing activities that also bear in mind ways to contribute to TMC’s product development and sales innovation by promptly and accurately gauging the needs of customers and then providing prompt feedback to TMC.
This move [...]

We’ve envied past collaborations Good Magazine have made with Starbucks and Lexus – and this one follows a similar theme: that they create a special Good Magazine content to create an inspirational experience for the reader and also helps sell a few cars.

Toyota has planted several 18-foot high solar-powered daisies in front of the Prudential Mall in Boston as part of their launch for the 2010 3rd-generation Prius, which will utilize solar power for inner ventilation if parked in the sun. The flowers provide free Wi-Fi, cellphone and laptop charging, and seating for 10 people at a time. The installation also includes 5 bus shelters that use solar panels to operate fans for air circulation.
The exhibit leaves Boston July 19, and will be placed in other cities through the rest of the year.
[via The Design Blog]
[images from Boston.com/The Design Blog]

Earlier this year we took a look at two small cars that emphasize design sensitivity and quality of finish. Both the VW Polo and the Ford Fiesta show the new ways small cars are being reborn as premium automobiles. The trend hasn’t gone unnoticed even at traditional luxury car manufacturers. Aston Martin is preparing a small car concept of its own based on of all things the Toyota iQ.
The “Cygnet” concept represents a creative, environmentally conscious solution, being small, yet with presence – and highly fuel efficient, now combined with the prestige of Aston Martin’s luxury brand ownership.
Aston Martin Chief [...]

Toyota is planning to make a car out of seaweed. Based on their existing 1/X plug-in hybrid concept (seen above), the future vehicle will be an ultralight, very efficient plug-in hybrid. A bioplastic (theoretically made out of abundant seaweed) would replace the existing carbon-fiber material currently in use for the body of the car. Unfortunately, this kind of green fantasy is about fifteen years away from being a reality.
Wired explains:
A kelp car is not as far-fetched as it might sound. Bioplastics are being used for everything from gift cards to cellphone cases. Demand for the stuff is expected to hit [...]

Toyota chose the 2009 Detroit auto show to debut its new 3rd generation Prius model. The car served as the centerpiece of Toyota expanding line of hybrid vehicles. Rather than print up a typical glossy brochure, the company gave away thousands of paper cards with seeds embedded in them. The front contains a simple tag line that says ‘Good ideas grow. Literally.’ The back has the planting instructions, which are essentially burying the card in soil and watering it. Each card contains a mix of annual and perennial wildflower seeds.
This is the first article of PSFK’s review of the 2009 [...]