Toyota Corolla Helps Debut Virtual Pop Diva Hatsune Miku to U.S. Market

Toyota Corolla Helps Debut Virtual Pop Diva Hatsune Miku to U.S. Market

TORRANCE, Calif., May 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Toyota's 2011 Corolla campaign for the Asian American market announces a new partnership with Hatsune Miku, a unique musical artist known for her songs, dance moves and long, blue pigtails. Most interestingly, Hatsune Miku is a 3-D holographic character developed to put a face on a singing synthesizer software developed by Crypton Future Media.

The campaign showcases the 2011 Corolla and introduces the virtual pop diva, a native of Japan, to her growing fan base in the U.S. Toyota Corolla will serve as the proud sponsor of Hatsune Miku's first U.S. concert performance, slated for July 2 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, Calif. during Anime Expo® 2011.

"Toyota maintains a constant pulse on global trends and influences," said Bob Zeinstra, National Manager, Advertising and Strategic Planning. "We are excited to have this partnership with Hatsune Miku because even if she is unfamiliar to some, the story of the character, her music and her dedicated fans are intriguing and in parallel with the storied history of Toyota Corolla. We are thrilled to help make her debut in the U.S."

Working with its Asian American advertising agency, interTrend Communications, Toyota has built an integrated marketing campaign that includes TV, print, out-of-home, digital and social media, primarily targeted to the Asian American market. The campaign launched on May 5, 2011 with commercial spots featured on www.YouTube.com/ToyotaUSA, garnering over half a million views in less than three days.

The partnership was a natural fit as both Toyota Corolla and Hatsune Miku realize big dreams in compact packages. The best-selling compact car, Corolla's updated exterior and interior design and technology features allow it to stand out from the compact vehicle category, much like Hatsune Miku does in her field.

The 2011 Corolla has new front and rear exterior styling, comes with the Toyota Care complimentary maintenance plan and standard Smart-Stop Technology. Toyota is the first and only full-line manufacturer to make the features of the Star Safety System(TM) standard on all vehicles. No wonder it was Hatsune Miku's top choice for her first vehicle in the U.S.

ABOUT TOYOTA MOTOR SALES, U.S.A., INC.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers which sold more than 1.76 million vehicles in 2010. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion.

For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030501/TOYLOGO)

SOURCE Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Photo:http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030501/TOYLOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

CONTACT: Sona Iliffe-Moon of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., +1-310-468-6721, sona_iliffe-moon@toyota.com; or Jennifer Yoo, +1-562-733-1855, jennifer@intertrend.com, for Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Web Site: http://www.toyota.com

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