“Let’s Go Places.” Toyota’s corporate slogan implies movement – the exact opposite of resting on its laurels.
I grew up in a Toyota family. Back in the ’90s and early 2000s, my dad bought several Cressidas (my first car was a white-on-blue ’89). After that came a time in which both of my parents and my older brother owned 4Runners. I look at my dad’s 1993 Toyota truck, which has around 300,000 miles on it and has been used to haul heavy loads most weekends of its life with him, as a vehicle whose build quality and reliability is hard to improve upon.
Of course, we all know that’s not the case. A year can make an incredible difference, not to mention more than two decades. Even though the 2016 Tacoma was recently deemed the top Mid-Size Pickup Truck at the Texas Auto Writers Association’s 2015 Truck Rodeo and Toyota continues to be recognized for the longevity of its vehicles, Toyota wants to learn how to make its models better. Ever-Better. That’s why one of the places to which it’s going as part of the campaign is Alaska. According to Toyota, “Over the course of 110 days and 16,500 miles, the North America Expedition is tackling some of the continent’s most challenging driving environments, from the summer heat of California’s Death Valley to the icy roads of an Alaskan winter, and from the steep ascent of Pikes Peak in Colorado to the urban congestion of New York City.” Each location will give Toyota’s engineers and other employees a chance to experience the products their customers drive and gather ideas about how to manufacture more enjoyable and more dependable cars and trucks.
I’ll be starting in Anchorage and going to other cities in the middle of November to document the Alaska portion of Toyota’s Ever-Better Expedition. Once I return, I’ll bring you all details about it and how the new Tacoma (and other Toyotas) fared up in the white-covered wilderness.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
Where do you go for answers when you have a Lexus with a gorgeous leather interior but are not sure about how to maintain that luxurious look? The "Club Lexus" forums, of course.
