Toyota NewsAll News
The Japanese car company Toyota is known for being one of the largest car companies in the world. Although here in North America, they’re stereotyped as being boring, family friendly cars. Toyota made a huge splash by bringing the Prius Hybrid vehicle to the consumer market. The Prius has quickly become an instantly recognizable vehicle that reached celebrity status. Toyota now has a few Hybrids available, and seem to be leading the way for alternate, green fuel.
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Toyota Delegation Spotted At Rally De Portugal, But No Further Plans Announced
After being kicked out of the WRC for cheating, and then coming back to win the championship in 1999, it’s safe to say that Toyota has had an interesting history with the World Rally Championship. Whatever you think of the team, their white and green Castrol livery is still one of the most iconic examples…
Tesla Releases IPO Details, Expects To Raise $185 Million
The end goal for most venture-capital financed start-ups is to issue an IPO and help get some money into the hands of those investors brave enough to give the company money at the early stages. Tesla Motors, perhaps the first Silicon Valley car company(and headed by Elon Musk, a former dot-com executive), is about to…
Toyota FR-S: Official Name for the FT-86 Concept?
The biggest question surrounding Toyota‘s awesome FT-86 concept isn’t if the car will make it to production, but what it will be called. That mystery may have just been solved, with word that Toyota Motor Corporation has just filed a trademark for the “FR-S” name in both the U.S. and Canada. The name certainly makes…
Toyota, Telsa to Begin Testing Secret Electric Car by Year’s End
It looks as though Tesla’s IPO filings with the SEC may have been intended to draw attention away from the company’s recent tie-up with Toyota. In those filing Tesla commented that while there is an intention between both automakers to work together towards building a new electric car, “we have not entered into any agreements…
VW Outpacing Toyota in Technical Innovations
According to a recent study by the Center of Automotive Management at the Bergish Gladbach University of Applied Sciences in Germany, Volkswagen ranks No. 1 when it comes to putting technical innovations into production. With 64 innovations that made it into cars last year, VW was ahead of second-place Toyota, which introduced 56 innovations that…
Turbocharged Toyota Yaris Makes 350-Horsepower, Runs 12s, Looks Mean
The Toyota Yaris was voted as the 2010 Best Overall Value of the Year. V-A-L-U-E, not F-U-N. But hey, who is to stop crazy enthusiasts from turning it into fun? Much like the Honda Civic Hatchback from say 1995, the Yaris wasn’t meant to be turbocharged, or taken down the quarter mile. It was meant…
Tesla Confirms No Plans to Build Electric Cars With Toyota, “and we may never do so”
It appears as though last month’s much-touted tie-up between Toyota and American electric car maker Tesla Motors was more of a publicity stunt than the start of a brave new electric world. In a recently filed IPO statement to the SEC, Tesla says that while there are a lot of good intentions to work together…
Automotive Lease Guide Says Gas Will Be Over $4 A Gallon By 2013
The Automotive Leasing Guide is what the auto industry uses to determine residual values for leased vehicles. It’s a pretty important guideline, and when the ALG speaks, people listen. So the ALG’s prediction of gasoline at $4.13 a gallon by 2013 has some pretty big ramifications for consumers and their vehicle choices. Naturally, the ALG…
‘Toyota: The Run Away Musical Hit’ Will Have You Laughing Out of Control
Toyota‘s had a rough year, with recalls, fines, and a brand image that has taken a Tito Ortiz-style punch to the jugular, and the latest jab comes from Minneapolis, MO’s Brave New Workshop, former stomping ground of Senator and political satirist Al Franken. “Toyota: The Runaway Musical Hit” has become quite the hot ticket in…
Toyota Boss Says to Expect Cars Like the Hybrid Sports Car Concept While He’s In Charge
Toyotas are notoriously un-fun to drive, but the company’s new boss aims to change that, infusing some driving character into even the greenest of the brand’s beige offerings. In numerous interviews since Akio Toyoda took over at the helm of the world’s largest automaker, he has repeated that the brand needs products that are more…
Toyota, Chevrolet, Jeep and Kia Drive Off With IIHS Top Safety Pick Awards
The results are in and a host of new SUVs have made the cut. Joining the list for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick Award recipients are the 2010 Chevrolet Equinox, the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, the 2011 Kia Sorento, and the 2010 Toyota Highlander and Venza. It takes a sturdy…
Nissan Leaf Gaining Conquest Sales From Toyota Prius; Surprised?
Is the Nissan Leaf set to overtake the Toyota Prius as the green-status-symbol of choice? According to market research sponsored by Nissan, a fair number of consumers who have put down deposits on the new Nissan Leaf electric car are current owners of the Toyota Prius hybrid, and are looking to take their outward love…
DTM Champ Ekstrom Likely to Race a Toyota NASCAR at Sonoma
After a successful test session last week, there’s a strong possibility that two-time DTM Champ Mattias Ekström will race at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race on June 20th at Sonoma, California. And he’ll be driving a Toyota no less. Ekström races for the Red Bull Audi team in Germany’s premiere DTM series, but recently filled…
McLaren To Spearhead Carbon Fiber Technology With New Supercar Lineup
Once a fixture of only the most expensive Formula 1 race cars, carbon fiber monocoques have now filtered down into the slightly more accesible world of supercars, and McLaren is leading the charge, after announcing plans to build two more carbon-monocoque supercars after the MP4-12C. McLaren will be partnering with Carbo Tech, whose factory in…
Lexus LFA Is A Hit In Europe, With 33% Of Continent’s Sales Coming From Germany
It’s no surprise that Lexus has taken deposits for all 5o0 LFA supercars (despite the skepticism of various internet forum posters). As its $375,000 pricetag may suggest, this car is only for the extremely well-heeled, and at this price point, individuality matters more than quantitative performance. One place where the LFA seems to have taken…
Report: Tesla CEO Elon Musk Is Broke
At 38 years old, Elon Musk has already lived a life filled with more adventures and pitfalls than most of us can fathom. The founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors and SpaceX was also a one time owner of a McLaren F1, the holy grail of car collecting, and served as the inspiration for Tony Stark,…
Audi DTM Pilot Mattias Ekstrom Tests for Toyota NASCAR Team at VIR
Here’s a story that is certainly going to get the rumors of Volkswagen‘s involvement in NASCAR started. Last week two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekström was at Virginia International Raceway helping test a Red Bull Racing Toyota for the upcoming NASCAR race at Sonoma. The reason for the odd match isn’t about NASCAR ambitions says Audi,…
Toyota Sienna, Avalon and Lexus RX Awarded Top Safety Pick From IIHS
Finally, some good news for Toyota – three new Toyota vehicles have been given Top Safety Pick awards from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Getting the award are the 2011 Toyota Avalon and Sienna for achieving the institute’s highest ratings in front, side, rollover and rear crash tests. Also picking up an award…
Kia Soul Hamsters Return With Hip-Hop Themed Spot
Regular readers will recall a fondness for hip-hop music at the Autoguide offices. We’ve previously covered the Houston “swangas” phenomenon, Seattle’s Volvo driving rapper and Atlanta’s dubbed-out Camaros. Now, Kia is showing the East Coast some love, with their new commercial featuring their familiar Hamsters, the Kia Soul, and Black Sheep’s seminal anthem The Choice…
Toyota FT-86 Delayed Until 2013
Those eagerly anticipating the launch of the FT-86 affordable sports car from Toyota will have to keep waiting. According to a report by Japan’s Best Car magazine, the concept has been delayed from an original production date of 2011 until 2013. Reasons for the delay include the possibility of a different design direction (why?), as…
2011 Volkswagen Jetta Caught Totally Disguised
Nearly a day after it was first spied testing, the 2011 Volkswagen Jetta has finally been spotted completely undisguised, and if the car looks a little Toyota-esque, then that must be a good thing. Rather than occupying a quasi-premium spot in the U.S. market, VW is going for volume, so the Corolla resemblance is not…
“Hiring Former NUMMI Workers Is A Priority For Us”- Tesla CEO Elon Musk
After acquiring the former NUMMI plant jointly owned by General Motors and Toyota, Tesla Motors was immediately targeted by the UAW for a guilt-trip campaign by the United Auto Workers to re-hire the 4,700 workers set to lose their jobs as the plant closed. In an interview on a California radio show, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was…
NHTSA Ups Toyota’s Unintended Acceleration Death Toll to 89
Already overrun with legal issues relating to its unintended acceleration issues, Toyota‘s problems are about to get worse as the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has just increased the number of deaths that may be related to the faulty pedal and floor mat recalls. A new NHTSA document now places the total number of…
Prius Alpha: The 7 Seat Prius MPV
Reports of a Prius MPV model aren’t new, but now comes word that the car will be call the Prius Alpha. Set to go on sale next March, the seven-seat Prius will ride on a stretched version of the current Prius platform that is almost a foot longer. The car was first previewed in the…
