We’re a Pet Friendly Dealership!
Today we wanted to take a moment to let you know we are a pet friendly dealership! We know how important our furry friends are, and we don’t want you to have to leave them home alone when you bring your car in for a service appointment, or even when you’re stopping by to look at your future car!
In order to showcase this, we did a photo shoot and a commercial with Jühas, our pet model! Everyone loved him and he had a great time testing different Toyotas and getting a lot of attention from our customers! So feel free to bring your furry best friend next time you stop by Continental Toyota. We’d love to meet them!
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This past Sunday, March 5th, we had the pleasure of being a part of the 2017 St. Patrick’s Day Family Parade in Countryside. We 
drove a Cubs Toyota Tundra that was fully decorated for the theme, and were surrounded by vehicles from our dealer family, such as Continental Honda and Continental Mitsubishi.
We drove by multiple houses and saw lots of families and children enjoying the parade. Several dogs were being walked in front of us, and the children were very excited about seeing them and petting them. Since we were driving a Cubs vehicle, we played the ‘Go, Cubs, Go’ song, and had many people singing along. We also handed out Toyota tote bags, which came in handy considering all the candy that was being passed out.
Given that it is a St. Patrick’s Day parade, we saw a lot of people dressed up in all-green attire, as well as younger girls wearing a traditional Irish dancer costume. We also saw lots of green Blackhawks jerseys, as well as Southpaw, the White Sox’s mascot.
Overall, we had a great experience at the Parade and enjoyed the time we spent with families and other local businesses celebrating this holiday. To check out the videos of our experience, follow us on Facebook!
St. Patrick’s Day Family Parade in Countryside
The City of Countryside will be hosting its second annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade this Sunday, March 5th at 1pm. The Grand Marshal
will be James Sweeney, the President-Business Manager of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 150, and Continental Motors Group is part of the ‘Pot O’ Gold’ sponsors.
The parade will begin at 1pm on Kensington Avenue at 61st Street and proceeds one mile – ending at 55th Place & Edgewood. But that’s not the end of it! There will be an after-party event with FREE bus rides to participating establishments, offering Irish music, dance, and food. The buses will be stopping at each destination every 20 minutes – from 2pm until 6pm.
Some of the after-party locations include Kenny’s Irish Pub, Flagg Creek Golf Course, The Spot on 66, and Time Out.
For more details about the Parade’s route, rules and after-party locations, click here.
Toyota Partners with Fred and Angi from KISS-FM
Some of you might know Fred and Angi from KISS-FM from your morning commute. If so, you may have heard them mention Toyota on multiple occasions and that is no coincidence. Toyota has partnered with Fred and Angi to help them with their social and philanthropic initiatives this year.
Fred and Angi
Most recently, Toyota provided Fred with a 2017 Toyota Highlander so that he could drive to the Ronald McDonald House to visit the families and make Valentine’s Day cupcakes for them. You can learn more about it here or take a look at this video to see how Toyota and Fred are giving back to the Chicagoland community.
This is the first of many opportunities Toyota will have to work with Fred and Angi, so be sure to follow us on Facebook to learn more about the philanthropic events that Toyota is part of in Chicagoland.
The Chicago Auto Show Part II
Last week we told you what we were expecting at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, and now we can show you everything we saw! The Toyota display was full of great cars and an amazing customer experience. The test track showed you how great our Toyota RAV4 and Toyota Highlander handle different weather conditions, and the green screens allowed you to take photos looking like the adventurer you are.
Toyota had some concept vehicles that definitely look like something from the future. They had a revamped Toyota Corolla that was showcased at SEMA in Las Vegas, a few cars from Toyota Racing, and all the Prius models. They also had a virtual reality experience where you could learn and experience everything about the Toyota Safety Sense while a dummy ‘drove’ you around town.
The icing on the cake, though, had to be the 2018 Toyota Camry and Toyota C-HR. Customers finally got an opportunity to get close and personal to the new models making a debut later this year. The Toyota Camry was completely redesigned and we must say it looks spectacular! As for the Toyota C-HR, it is the perfect SUV for someone looking for all of the perks of an SUV, but in a more compact car. Both of the C-HR models present at the Auto Show had a two-tone exterior. Toyota is giving the opportunity to customers to have a fun car that they can customize so it looks more unique.
Check out some of the pictures of the Auto Show below and on our Facebook page, including videos of our Chicago Auto Show experience.
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- Toyota Corolla from SEMA
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- 2018 Toyota C-HR
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- 2018 Toyota C-HR
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- 2018 Toyota C-HR
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- 2018 Toyota C-HR
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- 2018 Toyota C-HR
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- 2018 Toyota C-HR
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- Toyota Safety Sense VR experience
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- 2018 Toyota Camry
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- 2018 Toyota Camry
The Chicago Auto Show Part I
The Chicago Auto Show will be open to the public from February 11-20 so we wanted to give you a preview of what to expect for 
Toyota. Every year, the Chicago Auto Show offers a preview of production vehicles, debut vehicles, and concept vehicles.
As usual, Toyota will have a large lineup of their current models like the 4Runner, RAV4, Prius, Camry, Land Cruiser and more. It will also include the new Toyota models that are replacing the Scion vehicles, such as the 86, Corolla iM and Yaris iA.
Although Toyota will not have a concept vehicle present this year, they do have two debut vehicles! The 2018 Toyota Camry and 2018 Toyota CH-R will be present for visitors to admire and get a sneak peek at the new models that will be coming out this year.
Like in previous years, Toyota will have a test track so you can have a better understanding of the vehicle’s performance and how it handles in different terrains. This year you’ll get to ride along as the Toyota experts tell you all about the 2017 RAV4 and show you 
how it handles in different weather.
If you’d like to see the Toyota vehicles at the Auto Show, check out our Facebook page because we are giving away two pairs of Auto Show tickets! And if you can’t make it, don’t worry! Our blog post next week will tell you everything about the Chicago Auto Show.
We Know Safety is a Priority
Toyota is known for having long-lasting, reliable vehicles. As part of their commitment to their customers, Toyota has developed the ‘Toyota Safety Sense’ (TSS) feature for its vehicles. Crash protection starts with crash prevention, but sometimes a driver’s reaction might not be quick enough to prevent a collision.
This is why most of Toyota’s vehicles are now equipped with TSS, because the goal is to keep you and people around you safe. 
Toyota Safety Sense not just prevents you from getting injured, but also allows you to be a safer driver by protecting individuals in other vehicles and even pedestrians.
TSS is offered in the form of two packages: Toyota Safety Sense™ C (TSS-C) for compact vehicles and Toyota Safety Sense™ P (TSS-P) for midsize and large vehicles. If you’d like to learn more about the features included in the Toyota Safety Sense and watch a video explaining these features and its advantage, click here.
A lot of Toyota models have this package, but for a list of vehicles that include the TSS package, click here.
The 2018 Toyota C-HR
Not too long ago we told you about the new Toyota C-HR and what we knew about it so far. Well we know have some more details about what this compact SUV has to offer that you can check out here.
This new model will be available for sale by the end of this year, as a 2018 model, but you can pre-order it or contact us for more information. The Toyota C-HR made its debut at the 2016 LA Auto Show, where it received great feedback and built up the excitement about the upcoming release.
It was designed keeping in mind customers interested in a smaller vehicle with all of the perks of an SUV. From a performance standpoint, the new C-HR is not meant to be a speed demon, but it certainly looks like it will prove to be comfortable and responsive, thanks to the combination of a 2.0-liter four cylinder engine with 144 horsepower and 140 pound-feet of torque and a continuously variable transmission with a seven-speed sport mode. It is also getting all of the latest safety technology, from a rearview camera and blind spot monitors to lane-change assist and a forward collision warning with automated braking and pedestrian detection.
The Toyota C-HR joins the Nissan Juke and Honda HR-V as vehicles fit for families that are not looking for a big SUV, or individuals that wish to drive a larger vehicle than a sedan or coupe. Its design is very modern and athletic, with sharp lines, bold fenders and even a rear lip spoiler that Toyota claims is functional as well as stylish.
Stay tuned for more information on this new Toyota, or contact us if you have any questions!
The Toyota Concept-i was recently revealed at CES 2017 and it proved to be Toyota’s take on the future. It features highly sophisticated interior and exterior graphics, lighting that glows from beneath the outer skin and a host of interesting and clever 
details, such as Yui. Much like Apple’s Siri, Yui was designed to strengthen the bond between driver and car by anticipating your needs and informing the car so that Concept-i can consider and execute that next action accordingly.
The belief behind the Concept-i is that cars are more than technology; they are about the experience of the people who use them. Therefore, Concept-i was built from the inside out, with a focus on making it immersive, energetic and, most importantly—approachable. Thanks to artificial intelligence, Toyota foresees an automotive future wherein cars can connect with their drivers. Thanks to Yui, Concept-i will enhance that relationship between car and driver.
The really fun part is that the car understands you. Through biometric sensors throughout the car, Concept-i can detect what you’re 
feeling, and the car’s Artificial Intelligence then analyzes that information. That’s when the automated features kick in. Let’s say, for example, that you’re feeling sad; the AI will analyze your emotion, make a recommendation and if necessary, take over and drive you safely to your destination. So safety and protection are a major benefit of this relationship.
We don’t know yet when this concept car will become a reality, but what we do know is that Toyota is headed into a future that is oriented towards making the car driving experience feel more like spending time with a friend, rather than simply going places.
The Eighth Generation Toyota Camry
Toyota just revealed the redesigned, eighth-generation of the Camry at the Detroit auto show on Monday. Consider this redesign a more structural overhaul than cosmetic revolution. Toyota engineers designed the Camry using a global architectural platform that is shared with other vehicles of similar size and allows the company to spread out costs and improve quality.
It’s a little longer, with the wheelbase growing by 2 inches, a little lower, with the roof 1 inch shorter and the hood height 1.6 inches closer to the ground. The 2018 Camry comes with three new powertrain options: a 3.5-liter, 6-cylinder engine; a 2.5-liter, inline-4 gas engine paired with 8-speed automatic transmission, and a hybrid.
Standard safety technologies on the Camry include 10 air bags, pedestrian detection system, range-dynamic radar cruise control, lane-departure alert with steering assist and automatic high beams.
The new generation Camry will be available for sale this Summer.
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