Congratulations to Hammer_In_Hand: Winner of the June Photo Contest!
The theme for June 2009 was "Best FJ with a HOT CHICK!". Being the winner, Hammer_In_Hand will be rewarded with $100 in forum dollars to be used with any vendor on the forum along with a custom user title for one month.
One of the last things Shoichiro Toyoda did as honorary chairman at Toyota Motor Corp., was to assemble all of the company's executives and give them a tongue lashing. Toyoda even called out president Katsuaki Watanabe and blamed those in charge of the Japanese automaker for leaving behind the company's long-standing business practices to chase the quick-buck. He said they followed the lead of now-bankrupt automakers like GM and Chrysler, a path that has put the company in a serious financial bind.
While Toyota has posted significant profits for years, last year it posted a $4.5 billion loss and expects to lose even more ($5.7 billion) next year.
Toyota has always been known for building economical cars and for using a business practice called kaizen, where small improvements are constantly made to improve products. It is expected that Akio Toyoda (pictured above), the new Toyota president and grandson to the company’s founder, will once again begin to return the company to an economically-minded, slow growth corporation. Akio will officially take over the Toyota helm tomorrow.
Industry experts also believe that in order for Toyota to stay on top it must not only move away from luxury cars and large trucks, but it must also look outside the United States and develop vehicles for emerging markets.
Hey everyone. The registration for the third annual Thrill on the Hill has begun at Welcome to Thrill on the Hill 2009. Stop by and check out the site and register now for the event. It will be held on September 4th-7th in Cloudcroft,NM. We have a wonderful camp ground this year called Camp of the Tall Pines that will be able to accommodate everyone. It is located just outside of Cloudcroft. We have scouted some of the trails and we feel that there will be something for everyone this year. We will have live music on both Saturday and Sunday nights, great BB Q's, lots of entertainment and great trails. We have some great sponsors again this year. AllPro, MetalTech, Toytec, Demello and BudBuilt to name a few. They have donated some great raffle prises for the event and most of them plan on attending. Please register soon to secure your spot and we look forward to reuniting with a lot of you and shaking hands with those first timers. See you all soon
Congratulations to cruzinwyo: Winner of the May Photo Contest!
The theme for May 2009 was "Best pic of your FJ in the fog!". Being the winner, cruzinwyo will be rewarded with $100 in forum dollars to be used with any vendor on the forum along with a custom user title for one month.
The FJ Bruisers will be gathering in the George Washington National Forest for their third annual Spring MudFling on Memorial Day weekend (5/23-5/25). MudFling is the major wheeling and camping event on the Bruisers calendar, and 2009 will be the biggest yet!
They have a bunch of generous sponsors who are donating swag for the raffle and BBQ. Sponsors include Sierra Expeditions, Lucrum, Elemmats, FJC Magazine and many more!
They will be running in the North River (Dry River) area, which includes the Salt Shed, 2nd Mountain, Flag Pole, Kephart and Dictum Ridge to name a few… This section is west of Harrisonburg, Virginia on Route 33.
The Bruisers have been scouting all spring to ensure that they’re able to map out the most fun, challenging and legal routes to wheel - offering something for everyone, from bone stock to heavily modded.
The Bruisers have also partnered with the Harrisonburg/New Market KOA to reserve a group of campsites - but slots are limited, so be sure to sign up soon!
Thanks to our partners and friends at Steven Toyota, 4x4 Connection, Back Country Driving School, Sierra Expeditions, Iron Pig and many others we got the following items to raffle off:
• Garvin Roof Rack
• Rough Country Lift
• Safari Snorkel
• ARB Rear Bumper
• Complete Old Man Emu Suspension
• Huge Discount Certificates for Icon Suspension Kits