
Now the world will learn about the St. Marys man's 2005 Toyota Corolla S, and the reason why he commutes about 230 miles each work day to and from his job in Savannah.
In a year when Toyota has gotten some bad press for brake and throttle problems and subsequent recalls, the fact that Toyota Connections magazine is doing an article on Ose and his marathon commute for the September issue is "great" according to its daily driver. He intends to hang on to it, for a number of reasons.
"It's so dependable, and quite honestly, I am still making payments on it. I still have a year, isn't that ironic?" said Ose, an aircraft certification inspector at Gulfstream Aerospace. "I will probably go and hang on to it. I want to break a million on it, or pass it down to the children."
Brian Cook, who is writing the "Me and My Toyota" column on Ose's Corolla, said he writes lots of stories about Toyota owners and their cars. This one is a bit different.
"This stuck out," he said. "He's a Toyota owner who had a pretty impressive track record, and it stuck out with the high mileage and the compelling story with his daughter."
The world record for high mileage on a car has been handed to retired New York teacher Irv Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800 Coupe, with 2.5 million miles on its original engine.
So Ose's vintage isn't fancy. The compact 4-door gets a 130-hp four-banger, cost about $14,000 when new, and can manage 30 mpg or more.
Ose said he bought it while living in Jacksonville, because he needed something cheap and thrifty for those daily commutes to Savannah. He endured the commute for his youngest daughter, Zoe, who has cystic fibrosis and needed to be near a care center at Nemours Children's Clinic in San Marco.
He works at Gulfstream Aerospace because no job locally has the pay and medical benefits his seniority brings him there. His only concession - moving about a year ago to St. Marys, 45 minutes closer to work, to save some gas and shorten a commute that still starts at 2 or 3 a.m.
So far the Corolla has only needed some rear axle work and "a lot of tires and maintenance," and doesn't burn any oil.
"Inside's great. The outside looks great, but it's a bit scraped from highway miles," he said.
Ose said he's amazed that Toyota Connections, a 10-year-old magazine published by Southeast Toyota Distributors and mailed to owners in its five-state Southeast region, is doing a story.
He believes they got the tip from his dealership, and now it will be memorialized in print.
"It is great," he said. "It is good for Toyota and good for us."
High mileage runs in the family - the minivan has 145,000 miles on it.
Toyota Connections is also readable online at www. toyotaconnections.com.
| The Tesla Roadster, an electric sports car, sits on display in Washington, D.C., during a showcase of new automotive technologies in 2008. Tesla now plans to build a Model S family sedan and other electric vehicles with Toyota in the NUMMI plant in Fremont, Calif. |
For 25 years, Toyota ran a unique joint venture with General Motors called New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., also known as NUMMI. That partnership ended when GM went bankrupt. And in April, Toyota shuttered the plant in Fremont, Calif., leaving about 4,700 workers jobless and looking for a miracle.
The agreement between Toyota and Tesla was announced by Toyota's CEO Akio Toyoda, who promised to invest $50 million in Tesla. The fledgling electric carmaker will, in turn, buy the old NUMMI plant, a facility where Toyoda himself had once worked.
"I'm extremely happy that the DNA of car making that the NUMMI team developed over 25 years of production there will live on in an industry for the future," he said.
Going For A Drive
The impetus for the partnership came about six weeks ago when Toyoda visited Tesla CEO Elon Musk at his home in Southern California. The two men hit it off, especially after they went for a test-drive in a two-seat Tesla Roadster with Toyoda at the wheel.
"Not only was I impressed by Tesla technology, but I also felt their energy. Simply put, I felt the wind - the wind of the future," Toyoda said.
Toyota and Tesla will collaborate on an electric car. And at the same time, Tesla will use the NUMMI plant to build its new electric family-size sedan called the Model S.
"The Model S is initially only about a 20,000-vehicle production. So we're going to be occupying a little corner, but there's a lot of room for growth; and longer term, we intend to use the full capacity of NUMMI," Musk said.
A Boost For Electric Car Production
Car industry experts say the deal gives Tesla a major boost in mass-producing an electric car. And for $50 million, Toyota gets access to Tesla's powertrain technology. But Toyota may get something more, such as some goodwill from the public when it really needs it, according to Jeremy Anwyl, the CEO of Edmunds.com.
"I think they score a lot of political points by keeping that plant going. They may not say that, but my suspicion is that's their driving motivation, and I think that's a very smart move," Anwyl said.
In the Fremont plant, the old Corolla line, which worked so well, is still there. That would mean a rapid transition is possible to building an electric Corolla or even a hybrid Corolla in Fremont," Shaiken said. "That could be a game-changer for the industry, and certainly for jobs."
Tesla's Musk said he plans to start production of the Model S within two years and hire up to 1,000 workers in Fremont. And he said he wouldn't encourage or oppose the workers organizing a union.
San Antonio, TX - Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., (TMS) rewarded 100 high school seniors with $1 million in college scholarships for their commitment to education and community service at an awards banquet tonight.
The winners, who make up the 12th class of Toyota Community Scholars, were chosen from a pool of more than 8,000 students nationwide nominated by their schools. To be eligible, students must be proven leaders both in the classroom and in their communities.
Based on its accomplishments, the 2008 class learned at an early age that "giving back" to the community was not an obligation, but, rather, a way of life. As one Scholar, Jacob Rouse of Union, Ky., put it: "When helping others, an incredible feeling is instilled in your veins. This feeling allows you to believe you have meaning in the world."
For the 2008 class, their dreams of making a difference became reality through programs ranging from raising $120,000 for the American Cancer Society to collecting over 3,000 pounds of food that was distributed to youngsters at more than 160 schools. In addition, one scholar - a cancer survivor and amputee - has personally visited over 600 patients with the same afflictions, providing them with gift boxes.
"It is truly amazing to see what these 100 high school seniors have accomplished at such a young age," said Michael Rouse, TMS corporate manager of philanthropy and community affairs. "Their dedication both to academics and community service is an inspiration to all of us."
The scholarships are valued at $20,000 or $10,000 each, over four years, for study at a four-year college or university starting in the fall of 2008. Since the Toyota Community Scholars program began in 1997, TMS has awarded over $13 million in scholarships to 1,200 students across the U.S.
Kristen Allcorn, a Toyota Community Scholar from Sedalia, Mo., is a prime example of the dedication to community service exhibited by this year's class. As the founder of The Community Café, Allcorn and her group of volunteer students have provided over 11,000 free evening meals to needy residents in her hometown. Hot meals are served five nights a week, with plans to expand that to three meals each day, seven days a week.
All told, Allcorn and her group have raised over $13,000 to keep The Community Café operational.
Consequently, Allcorn, like many of the Scholars, found community service to be the roadmap to what she wants to do in the future. "I never imagined the impact The Community Café would have on my community or myself. The Community Café has influenced my career plans, and I have committed to living a life of service."
The Toyota Community Scholars program is administered by Educational Testing Services in Princeton, N.J. The 12 national winners ($20,000 each) and 88 regional winners ($10,000 each) were selected by a panel of college and university admissions officials from across the U.S.
The scholarship winners were guests of honor tonight at an awards banquet in San Antonio that was attended by education, community, business and government leaders. Liz Murray, subject of the Lifetime Television movie, From Homeless to Harvard, was the keynote speaker.
The two-and-a-half-day program included a tour of Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas, Inc., in San Antonio, which builds the Tundra full-size pickup truck. In addition, the Scholars enjoyed an authentic Texas BBQ dinner, with games, entertainment and dancing at the Rio Cibolo Ranch.
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,427 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers in 49 states. Established in 1957, TMS and its subsidiaries also are involved in distribution logistics, motorsports, and research and development.
The foundation places a high priority on innovative, cost-effective and diverse programs that are broad in scope, incorporate interdisciplinary learning and use real-world classroom applications.
The recent grantees include:

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Faced with declining sales among humans, Toyota has decided to make dogs a target demographic in their marketing campaign for the new Venza crossover.
It makes some sense: dogs have heretofore been a previously untapped market of potential car buyers, dog owners have been known to spend lavishly on their precious pooches, and a lot of St. Bernards have better earning potential than their owners. "More than half of all dog owners consider their pet's comfort when buying a car," said Bob Zeinstra, Toyota's national product marketing manager. "Our goal is to inform these on-the-go pet owners that Venza is a great choice when it comes to creature comfort and pet travel safety options."
Toyota says their marketing campaign will be aimed at "pets and their owners," although we've only seen a dog enter a legally binding credit agreement on The Simpsons. In other words, the dogs will get to ravage the interior of a brand new crossover while their owners get stuck with the bill.
The fur began to fly last night with an exclusive automotive sponsorship of the Westminster Kennel Club Show. Canine capers continue with pet travel safety demonstrations at the Global Pet Expo later this week, Venza-sponsored "Dog Park Days" with free dog treats at parks in LA and Phoenix, and product placement on Dog the Bounty Hunter. Okay, we made that last one up -- but Toyota will be sponsoring the fifth season of Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan.
Dogtime.com recently featured the Venza as their "Best Car for Dogs" in a recent review. According to Lucky the Dalmatian, the most important attributes of a dog-friendly car include plenty of cargo space, good ventilation, all-wheel drive, and 20-inch rims. Coincidentally, these are all attributes of the Toyota Venza. Not coincidentally, the article was sponsored by Toyota.
Unfortunately for Toyota, spending terrifies pet owners more than a Hoover freaks out Fido. Trips to the groomers are down, as are sales of gourmet treats and Chihuahua tiaras. At the worst end of the spectrum, dog owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure are abandoning their pets while animal shelters shutter their doors amidst budget cuts.
Even if you can't afford a new Venza, you can enjoy pictures of irresistable
pups enjoying Toyota-branded pet gear at Toyota's flickr site. Woof.