Washington, DC - Toyota Motor Sales USA executives have angered National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Chairman Danny Bakewell Sr. and America's preeminent Black newspaper publishers after the troubled carmaker backed out of a multi-million dollar advertising campaign targeting Black consumers. In a letter to Mr. Bakewell and the NNPA, Toyota executives said that Black consumers of Toyota products receive their advertising message from a number of media channels, which include mainstream media (white media), thus implying that advertising in the Black newspapers was unnecessary.

This decision comes after months of meetings between Toyota executives and the NNPA, a network of 200 Black publishers which represents over 19.8 million weekly readers, approximately half of America's Black population.

"This is disappointing and intolerable behavior from a company who earned $2.2 billion from Black consumers last year and who was all too eager to send us their press releases asking us to write stories and editorials to influence Blacks to remain loyal in their time of trouble," said Chairman Bakewell. "But now that Toyota's pain has been eased by a Federal Transportation Department and NASA report, once again the Black consumer and the Black press have been forgotten."

Earlier this year, Toyota's president and CEO, Mr. Toyoda said, "Everyone at Toyota will continuously maintain a sense of gratitude to customers..."

Mr. Bakewell said, "Based on Toyota's actions, it appears that Mr. Toyota's statement applies to everyone but the Black consumer."

The issue first surfaced with Toyota's unwillingness to run "Thank you" ads in Black newspapers. This was after Toyota spent millions advertising in white newspapers after last year's safety recall.

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