The impact and history of Detroit cars, Motor City
Below are some facts about Detroit’s automotive industry.
- Over 25,000 entries were collected in the Toyota 4 Runners Landia Contest.
- The winner will receive enough money to buy the 2025 Toyota 4 Runner and the land.
For most people, sleepless nights may be something that you quickly forget.
But what Lauren Paulette Miller, a sleepless night, or at least what she did when she faced one, has turned into something that could be a life-changing event.
Paulet-Miller, 26, was named the winner of a unique contest from Toyota Motor North America on July 30th. She won a new 2025 Toyota 4runner TRD Pro and plenty of money ($95,000) and enough money to buy the land.
“My intention is to create a little bit of retreat space that will showcase people camping and make them feel more comfortable outdoors,” said Paulette Miller, who grew up in Miami and sees opportunities in an area near Hagerstown, Maryland. “There are many barriers that prevent people in my community from having meaningful outdoor experiences, so I hope to be able to educate people of all races and backgrounds outdoors and how to experience outdoors safely.”
Paulette Miller, who works as a sustainability outreach coordinator for Frederick, Maryland, stumbled on Instagram’s Toyota 4runner Landia Contest earlier this year on one sleepless night. Rather than simply passing the ads for the contest, she fired the essay and entered the contest because she might normally want to do it. According to Toyota, it pulled out more than 25,000 entries in April and May.
Her essay topic?
“I wrote 250 words about the wild and amazing West Virginia.”
West Virginia spots have become more prominent on outdoor excursions. Paulette Miller spoke in a recent conversation with the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA Today network, including her long backpacking trip with Remy, her 11-pound Yokee Poo and Mountain State.
Delia Lopez, a spokesman for Conil, a partner in the Toyota campaign, said when narrowing down the top entries for the contest, “We looked for stories that captured the spirit of 4runner in a grounded way: Exploration, nature and attribution.”
Paulet-Miller was waiting for the new vehicle to be delivered. She chose Mudbath (compared to hot chocolate by Toyota’s Cynthia Barrera, a special color of 2025), but has already made plans, including adding a rooftop camper. She previously off-roaded in Utah and rented a camper van last year to explore parts of New Zealand as part of her honeymoon last year.
However, Paulette Miller hopes that the new 4Runner will take her adventure to a new level. The sticker price is $68,400, and will also be a change from the current vehicle, the Subaru Forester, another Toyota, and the Corolla that has over 200,000 miles in 2002.
For Paulet-Miller, that sleepless night still works.
“I feel like I’m in a dream, and I’m not awake from it,” she said.
Eric D. Lawrence: Please contact elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Send a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
