Younger people just aren't interested in cars like they used to be. That's according to the CEO of Toyota Motor Sales and Marketing. And it's happening all over the world, not just in the U.S.

"It's an industry-wide thing," says Masanao Tomozoe, head of Toyota's worldwide marketing operation.

He said, "Young people haven't walked away from cars," but they are less likely to get excited about driving them or buying them. Toyota and other carmakers are losing ground on teens as they focus on technology like smartphones, tablets and video games.

Tomozoe said the answer is to simply create more interesting and exciting products. He said that automakers need to think in new ways, even create "segment busters" that catch people by surprise.

Toyota has refreshed the Corolla, the popular compact car, trying to make it look more hip and daring. The commercials feature hip-hop music and dancing. It by all means is an appeal to the younger generation.

Toyota isn't the only automaker trying to appeal to teens and younger drivers. Kia, Ford and Hyundai have all made major stylish refreshers to their smaller cars.

Technology too is being added to cars hoping to get younger drivers to enjoy their commutes. MP3 capabilities, Pandora music, handsfree cell phone capabilities and personal assistant car services are all becoming the standard in cars these days.

Toyota recently sponsored a contest to get kids to think about the future and what cars will look like. The "Dream Car Art Contest" asked for submissions from kids all over the world to send in their designs and drawings. Selected submissions are being displayed in Vine videos by Toyota.

What do you think about teen drivers? Is their disinterest a good or bad thing? Leave a comment below in the comments section.

Correction: an earlier version of this article incorrectly stated the timing of the Toyota Dream Car Art Contest.