Toyota Temporarily Suspends Sales of Selected Vehicles

/PRNewswire/ -- Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today announced that it is instructing Toyota dealers to temporarily suspend sales of eight models involved in the recall for sticking accelerator pedal, announced on January 21, 2010.

"Helping ensure the safety of our customers and restoring confidence in Toyota are very important to our company," said Group Vice President and Toyota Division General Manager Bob Carter. "This action is necessary until a remedy is finalized. We're making every effort to address this situation for our customers as quickly as possible."

Toyota announced it would recall approximately 2.3 million vehicles to correct sticking accelerator pedals on specific Toyota Division models. Toyota has investigated isolated reports of sticking accelerator pedal mechanisms in certain vehicles without the presence of floor mats. There is a possibility that certain accelerator pedal mechanisms may, in rare instances, mechanically stick in a partially depressed position or return slowly to the idle position.

Toyota's accelerator pedal recall and suspension of sales is confined to the following Toyota Division vehicles:

2009-2010 RAV4,
2009-2010 Corolla,
2009-2010 Matrix,
2005-2010 Avalon,
Certain 2007-2010 Camry,
2010 Highlander,
2007-2010 Tundra,
2008-2010 Sequoia


No Lexus Division or Scion vehicles are affected by these actions. Also not affected are Toyota Prius, Tacoma, Sienna, Venza, Solara, Yaris, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser, Land Cruiser and select Camry models, including all Camry hybrids, which will remain for sale.

Due to the sales suspension, Toyota is expected to stop producing vehicles on the following production lines for the week of February 1 to assess and coordinate activities. The North America vehicle production facilities affected are:

-- Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Canada (Corolla, Matrix, and RAV4)
-- Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Indiana (Sequoia and Highlander)
-- Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky - Line 1 (Camry and Avalon)
-- Subaru of Indiana Automotive, Inc. (Camry)
-- Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas (Tundra)



No other North American Toyota vehicle production facilities are affected by the decision to stop production.

The sticking accelerator pedal recall is separate from the on-going recall of Toyota and Lexus vehicles to reduce the risk of pedal entrapment by incorrect or out of place accessory floor mats. Approximately 1.7 million Toyota Division vehicles are subject to both separate recall actions.

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Coca-Cola Commits to Climate-Friendly Refrigeration Through Engagement with Greenpeace

(BUSINESS WIRE)--Days before the United Nations summit on climate change begins in Copenhagen, The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners today announced that 100 percent of their new vending machines and coolers will be hydrofluorocarbon-free (HFC-free) by 2015. Coca-Cola is committing to use its scale to aggregate demand and encourage supply as a means of accelerating the transition to HFC-free refrigeration equipment. This announcement is a direct result of work with Greenpeace that began in 2000, and a demonstration that phasing out the use of HFCs is a tangible and near-term action corporations can take to protect the climate.

The transition to HFC-free refrigeration will reduce the equipment’s direct greenhouse gas emissions by 99 percent. A recent peer-reviewed report by top scientists shows that HFCs will be responsible for between 28 percent and 45 percent of carbon-equivalent emissions by 2050 if society reduces carbon dioxide while leaving HFCs unchecked. Eliminating HFCs in the commercial refrigeration industry would be equivalent to eliminating the annual greenhouse gas emissions of Germany or Japan.

“Climate change is real and the time to act on solutions is now,” said Muhtar Kent, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “Greenpeace has played a critical role in raising our awareness about the need for natural refrigeration. Our announcement today demonstrates a commitment to use our influence in the marketplace to drive innovation and help shape a low-carbon future.”

This step by Coca-Cola will help accelerate a market shift in commercial refrigeration away from HFCs. The Coca-Cola Company has invested more than $50 million in research and development to advance the use of climate-friendly cooling technologies. In 2010, The Coca-Cola Company and its bottling partners will purchase a minimum of 150,000 units of HFC-free equipment, effectively doubling the current rate of purchase to enable alignment with an interim goal to purchase 50 percent of all new coolers and vending machines without HFCs by 2012.

The Company and its bottling partners have approximately 10 million coolers and vending machines in place today around the world, comprising the largest element of the Coca-Cola system’s total climate impact. As a result of the commitment to eliminate the use of HFCs in this equipment, carbon emission reductions will exceed 52.5 million metric tons over the life of the equipment – the equivalent of taking more than 11 million cars off the road for one year.

“We welcome Coca-Cola’s commitment to help tackle climate change; large enterprises have both an opportunity and responsibility to change the game and Coca-Cola’s action leaves no excuse for other companies not to follow,” said Kumi Naidoo, Executive Director, Greenpeace International.

Coca-Cola currently utilizes two HFC-free solutions. Hydrocarbon refrigeration is used in smaller refrigeration equipment and carbon dioxide (CO2) is used in larger equipment. CO2 is a safe, reliable and energy efficient alternative with positive characteristics as a refrigerant. It does not deplete the ozone layer and it is 1,430 times less damaging to the climate than a typical HFC.

Already, as a direct result of Coca-Cola’s supply chain engagement, a major supplier has communicated its intention to build a dedicated CO2 compressor production facility, helping to meet the growing demand for HFC-free refrigeration options throughout the industry.

“Addressing climate change requires leadership and collaboration,” said Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “Just days away from the negotiations in Copenhagen, this announcement by Coca-Cola and Greenpeace demonstrates that investments in low-carbon technologies can make business sense.”

This announcement is a direct result of discussions with Greenpeace that began in the run-up to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Greenpeace challenged Coca-Cola to go HFC-free in all of the equipment it supplied to the Games. By the Torino Games in 2006 and the Beijing Games in 2008, the Company was using all HFC-free technology at Olympic venues. For the past five years, the relationship between Greenpeace and Coca-Cola has become increasingly cooperative as both sought a cost-effective alternative to HFCs.

“At Coca-Cola, we are deploying our scale and working with suppliers to deliver cost effective alternatives to HFC, for us and for others,” said Rick Frazier, Vice President, Supply Chain, The Coca-Cola Company.

“Greenpeace increasingly works with businesses to make fundamental manufacturing and sourcing changes by connecting regulation, economies of scale and supply chain security,” said Amy Larkin, Director of Greenpeace Solutions. “Coca-Cola’s commitment today runs ahead of regulation and takes some fear out of rapid change.”

Coolers and vending machines impact the climate in three ways: through direct energy use (operating the machine), through chemicals used in the machine's insulation foam, and by leakage or improper end-of-life disposal of the refrigerant gas used in the cooling system. In addition to its refrigerant gas commitment, Coca-Cola developed a proprietary energy management system (EMS) that delivers energy savings of up to 35 percent and has placed over 1.7 million of these units around the world. In 2006, the Company completed the transition to HFC-free insulation foam for all new purchases of refrigeration equipment. Together, HFC-free insulation and HFC-free refrigerant will generate 99 percent fewer direct greenhouse emissions than traditional equipment.

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AGL Resources to Host Third-Quarter 2008 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast

PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AGL Resources Inc. (NYSE:ATG) will release its third-quarter 2008 earnings results before the market opens on Thursday, October 30, 2008. The company will hold a conference call to discuss its results on the same day at 8:30 a.m. (ET).

The conference call will be webcast, and can be accessed via the investor relations section of the company's Web site (www.aglresources.com), or by dialing 866/825-1692 in the United States or 617/213-8059 outside the United States. The confirmation code is 45859355. A replay of the conference call will be available by dialing 888/286-8010 in the United States or 617/801-6888 outside the United States, with a confirmation code of 78383201. A replay of the call also will be available on the investor relations section of the company's Web site for seven days following the call.

About AGL Resources

AGL Resources (NYSE:ATG) , an Atlanta-based energy services company, serves approximately 2.3 million customers in six states. The company also owns Houston-based Sequent Energy Management, an asset manager serving natural gas wholesale customers throughout North America. As a 70 percent owner in the SouthStar partnership, AGL Resources markets natural gas to consumers in Georgia under the Georgia Natural Gas brand. The company also owns and operates Jefferson Island Storage & Hub, a high-deliverability natural gas storage facility near the Henry Hub in Louisiana. For more information, visit www.aglresources.com.

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Gas Prices Continue to Top Travelers’ List of Most Frustrating Issues

BUSINESS WIRE--In national survey of recent travelers, commissioned by travel insurance and assistance provider Access America, in unaided responses, nearly half (48%) of recent travelers identified gas prices as the most frustrating issue they faced while traveling. That number is double what is was (24%) nine months ago. (Unaided responses are often more powerful than aided responses, because the respondent can choose any response they choose, including nothing.)

“Frustration with gas prices has been a consistent issue for travelers since the Access America Travel Frustration Index was launched last year,” said Mark Cipolletti, vice president for marketing and communications for Access America. “Whether in the form of increased air fares or miles on the road that cost more and more each day, gas prices are a particularly frustrating issue that spills over into non-travel time as well. It’s informative to see how this frustration has increased over time in-step with rising fuel costs.”

Gas ranks high on the frustration scale for both leisure and business travelers and across demographic factors such as region of the country and income. Among leisure travelers, 86 percent report frustration with gas prices, while business travelers registered at 85 percent. Across all income segments more than 80 percent of respondents said they are frustrated with gas prices, similarly all regions of the country registered above 80 percent.

When asked to rate their frustration with gas prices, three quarters (74%) said they are “very frustrated” with the cost of gas.

The Access America Travel Frustration Index measures ten categories each quarter. While gas was clearly the most frustrating issue, costs of travel and service issues on airlines also registered on the frustration scale – though both of these issues trailed frustrations with gas prices significantly and even showed improvement over previous quarters. More than half (52%) of respondents said they are frustrated with the cost of airline, cruise line and train tickets. Frustrations with these costs ranked nearly 10 percentage points above frustration with other costs, such as costs of lodging (43%).

Slightly less than half (48%) of respondents said they are frustrated with airline and airport services, such as lost or delayed baggage, cramped and overcrowded planes, missed connections, long lines, etc. That number is down from previous quarters, when more than half of respondents were reporting frustration with these issues.

In unaided responses, flight delays and airline/airport issues garnered just three percent and six percent respectively, ranking well below cost concerns (including gas) and crowds or traffic issues.

Booking travel remained the least frustrating issue for travelers. Just 18 percent of respondents ranked booking their trip, including working with a travel agent, selecting a destination or selecting a supplier as frustrating.

The overall Frustration Factor (aggregated responses across all categories) went down from the previous quarter, but frustrations are still rising overall in 2008 compared with 2007:

• In March 2008 the aggregated Frustration Factor was 57.6 out of 100, while this quarter the Factor was 55.6 out of 100.
• In August 2007 the Frustration Factor was 53.9 on the same scale.

Complete results for the latest survey, completed in June 2008, across all ten issues measured, are as follows: (percentages show number of respondents who indicated they are frustrated with the issue)

Issue		% reporting frustration
		Quarter2 2008
Cost of gas		86%
Cost of travel		52%
Airline service		48%
Cost of lodging		43%
Illness or injury affecting your trip		39%
Labor actions		36%
Weather delays		28%
Service by other travel suppliers		23%
Booking the trip		18%