“According to customer surveys, Toyota perennially produces some
of the world’s most reliable cars. When the auto giant decided
to create a comprehensive network to communicate with its 1,200
American car dealers, it wanted the same reliability in its
operating system — and chose Linux.“
“This summer, Toyota Motor Sales USA unveiled a plan this summer
to provide Toyota and Lexis dealers with what the company calls a
first-in-the-industry “ground-up web-based dealer/factory
communication system” running Red Hat Linux 6.2 on Dell
PowerApp.Web 100 appliance servers. The system, called Dealer
Daily, “will be the means for Toyota to communicate with dealers on
a wide range of areas, such as sales reporting, inventory
management, parts ordering, and technical info,” says Mike Michels,
a Toyota Motor spokesperson….”
“Dealer Daily will quickly become Toyota’s vital electronic
link, he adds, allowing dealers to use a browser-like system. “It
is a true business-to-business exchange portal,” says Inaba. “It
will allow us to be securely connected with our dealers twenty-four
hours a day, seven days a week and will increase dealer
productivity in over 30 different data-sharing interfaces, such as
parts ordering, warranties, sales transactions and even vehicle
repairs.”