Toyota and Lexus take top honours in seven categories in Canadian Black
Book's Fifth Annual Best Retained Value Awards

MARKHAM, ON, March 9 /CNW/ - Canadian Black Book (CBB) has released their fifth annual Retained Value Awards, and Toyota and Lexus models have taken the top spot in 7 categories, confirming the trusted quality, reliability and exceptionally high retained value of these vehicles.

The 2010 CBB Retained Value Award Toyota and Lexus winners were named in the following categories:

    
    Sub-compact:                Toyota Yaris
    Full-size car:              Toyota Avalon
    Entry luxury car:           Lexus IS Series
    Compact SUV:                Toyota RAV4
    Full-size SUV:              Toyota Sequoia (tie)
    Small pick-up:              Toyota Tacoma
    Large pick-up:              Toyota Tundra
    

"Given Toyota's recent media attention this outcome may be a surprise to some. So far their values remain stable and that is a strong indicator of the public's trust in Toyota the brand," remarked Larry Shred, executive vice president of Canadian Black Book. "What the public wants is value for their money, and these are some of the top companies delivering high value," continued Mr. Shred.

"We are proud that so many Toyota and Lexus vehicles continue to be recognized for their value, offering an excellent choice to Canadian drivers," said Warren Orton, Director at Toyota Canada Inc. "We thank Canadian Black Book for awarding top honours to seven Toyota and Lexus models in this year's 2010 CBB Retained Value Awards."

This year the award examines 2006 models, and winners have been chosen in 17 segments. The awards are determined from actual value retained from MSRP, measured over a 4 year period.

CBB initiated the awards to help consumers identify which vehicles retain the highest percentage of their original value. Although strong retained value performance is not a guarantee of future strength, it is a strong indicator for how a vehicle should perform in the future. For the consumer, selecting a vehicle with a lower depreciation rate will reduce their overall cost-of-ownership.

About Canadian Black Book

Founded in 1960, Wm. Ward Publishing is a Canadian company owned and operated by Kathy Ward, and is the official distributor of Canadian Black Book. Canadian Black Book is the publisher of the "Black Book" vehicle value and residual guides and is the benchmark for automobile dealers, manufacturers, financial services firms, insurance companies and other sectors with interests in the automobile industry.

For further information: For inquiries regarding information contained in this release contact: Josh Bailey, senior manager, client services, Canadian Black Book, [phone], [email protected]; For more information, please visit media.toyota.ca