Toyota
Toyota GT 86 TRD Revealed
5
Back when we still called it the FT-86, a leaked brochure claimed to show what TRD had in store for the Toyota sports car. The boxer-powered machine has since been revealed (called the Scion FR-S in North America) and this lone photo of a TRD-equipped model has now emerged. What is obvious from the photo…
Toyota GT 86 Added to Gran Turismo 5 in Latest Update
Gran Turismo 5 will be getting an update (version 2.02) on December 20th and with it will come the addition of Toyota‘s GT 86 to the game for free. A new downloadable content (DLC) Car Pack 2 will also be available for just $3.99 adding four new cars to your collection. The second Car Pack…
Lexus Will Not Use BMW-Sourced Diesel Powerplants
Under a new partnership agreement between BMW and Toyota, engines and hybrid technology will be shared in order to spread development costs for future efficient vehicles. BMW confirmed its 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter four cylinder diesel engines will be installed in selective Toyota models beginning 2014, but there is still a great deal of speculation as…
KBB Most Researched Vehicles List Released
Kelly Blue Book Released their list of the 20 most researched vehicles and three of the top five spots belong the Honda products. The Civic and Accord placed first and second respectively, with the Toyota Camry in third, the Honda CR-V in fourth and the Ford F-150 in fifth. The Hyundai Sonata and Elantra placed…
Lexus LX570 To Debut Next Month
The Lexus LX 570, set to debut at next month’s Detroit Auto Show, will look different but remain almost identical beneath the skin, as Lexus spokesperson said in an interview with Autoblog.com. Bill Kwong, Lexus Communications Specialist, said the LX 570 and Toyota Land Cruiser will feature an updated body style, but that the interior and drivetrain…
Google Awarded Patent For Autonomous Vehicle
Google’s mission towards to mass market autonomous vehicles took another step forward this week when they were granted a patent for a method of controlling the self-driving car. The patent details how the vehicle can transition from being human-driven to autonomous mode. The technology raises an interesting thought, where the car could transition to autonomous…
Record Number of IIHS Top Safety Picks For 2012
In a display of continuing safety advancements in automobiles, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reported that more vehicles have earned the “top safety pick” this year after manufacturers have strengthened the roofs of their vehicles to improve its rollover safety. Sixty-nine cars, thirty-eight SUVs, five minivans, and three pickups made the “top safety pick”…
Toyota Pickup Powered By Honda S2000 Engine Spotted In Japan
When we think of tuners and enthusiasts shoehorning engines into other vehicles, the thought of Honda‘s F20C S2000 powerplant making its way into a Toyota Pickup isn’t exactly on our list… at all. Honda’s high-revving 2.0L naturally aspirated engine found in the original S2000s is one of the world’s most potent and beloved engines and…
Chevrolet Cruze Production Halted, Unnamed Supplier To Blame
General Motors halted production of their popular Cruze sedan yesterday after a supplier issue hampered production. Chevrolet says they plan to resume production as soon as possible, though they declined to disclose what the issue was. Production officially stopped around 1 p.m. EST according to a spokesperson for the Lordstown, Ohio, factory where the Cruze…
How the Scion FR-S Almost Never Happened and Why Subaru Thought it Was a Bad Idea
The Scion FR-S might be the most exciting sports car in years and it might also be the most important project Toyota has ever launched, helping change perceptions about an automaker that has become known for building appliances. But the back-to-basics enthusiast sports car almost never happened, according to Chief Engineer Tetsuya Tada, speaking at…
Toyota Supra Hybrid In Development
After stunning the world with a Lexus super car, and surprising us with the pure driving experience of the Scion FRS, Toyota R&D is now rumored to be working on the return of the most legendary Toyota of all– the Supra. While the Mark IV Supra was discontinued amid a struggling Japanese economy, its popularity…
BMW And General Motors Partnering For Fuel Cell Technology
According to Reuters, General Motors and BMW are jumping into bed over fuel cells. GM is already established as a leader in the technology, though they are staying tight-lipped about the partnership according to Autoblog. BMW told the site that they are “speaking about various future technologies.” Additionally, German business magazine, Wirtschafts Woche says according to an…
Acura ILX Compact Sedan to Get Hybrid Powertrain, Choice of Two Gas Engines
Honda is conceding defeat to Mercedes, BMW and Lexus but that could be good news for fans of the brand. Their reassessment means a fully-refreshed line including new cars as soon as this spring. The first in line is their new ILX compact sedan which will be based on the global Civic platform. The move…
Toyota Cuts Annual Profit Forecast By 54 Percent
This year has been a tough one for Toyota thanks to Mother Nature and her natural disasters. As if the tragic earthquake and tsunami in Japan wasn’t bad enough, Thailand experienced its worst floods in almost 70 years, disrupting Toyota’s production of their popular Camry and Prius models. As a result, Toyota has had…
NHTSA Pushing For Standardized Keyless Ignition For Quicker Vehicle Shutoff
The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration (NHTSA) is pushing for a new rule that will standardized the time it takes for keyless ignitions to shutoff a vehicle to avoid accidents of unintended acceleration following the aftermath of Toyota‘s record recalls. The accident that started Toyota’s recalls involved a 2009 Lexus ES350 that filled four people…
Toyota Prius, Porsche 911 Are Germany’s Most Reliable Cars
Out in Germany, a new vehicle must be inspected after three years by the TÜV, similar to America’s state-level emissions and inspection process (albeit much more rigorous). After that, residents of Germany then have to get their vehicles inspected every two years and each visit involves an extremely thorough inspection of your vehicle. Failing the…
2012 Lotus Exige To Be Sold In America As Track-Only Car, $85,000 MSRP
Lotus will offer the Exige in 2012 as a track-only car in America, despite killing off the street-legal Elise and Exige due to air bag laws and the discontinuation of the car’s 1.8L Toyota 4-cylinder motor. The 2012 Exige for North America will be based on the Exige S and get a 3.5L supercharged V6…
2012 Toyota Camry Gets Five Star Safety Rating From NHTSA
The all-new 2012 Toyota Camry has received a five-star composite safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The redesigned 2012 Camry was able to achieve the five-star rating despite the NHTSA’s new, more rigorous testing procedure that’s targeted to raising the bar for overall vehicle safety. Featuring a reinforced body structure that…
GM; Toyota Spend Most Money On Advertising
GM spent some $3.59 billion on advertising last year, an increase of some 11 percent compared with 2009, while Toyota put aside some $2.86 billion.
Chevrolet Volt Fire Solution Expected Soon, Coolant Leak May Be The Culprit
General Motors is moving closer to a solution for the fires that occurred in Volts after crash testing earlier this year. Fox News reported yesterday that, according to an unnamed source, fires sparking inside Chevrolet‘s lauded green car might be caused by coolant crystallizing on the car’s battery after a crash, leading to a short…
Toyota Corolla, Sienna Recalled For Faulty Installation Of Aftermarket Equipment
Toyota has issued a recall for 2010-2011 Corollas and 2011 Siennas sold through Southeast Toyota Distributors (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina) that were installed with non-Toyota aftermarket entertainment, navigation and Bluetooth systems on the A-pillar. The dealer-installed aftermarket equipment may not have been installed properly with the retention clip for the A-pillar trim…
Toyota Banking On Hybrids For Continued US Growth In Sales
Toyota is looking to ride their successful Prius wave to the future, hoping to revive its US sales that has taken a hit thanks to heavy recalls and the tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. With two new Prius models on the horizon, Toyota also announced they’ll be entering new market segments with hybrids,…
Toyota To Export 6,000 Camry Sedans To South Korea
The South Korean auto market has long been dominated by domestic automakers like Hyundai and Kia, but Toyota is planning to make a play by sending 6,000 American-built Camrys to South Korea. Deliveries will begin starting in January, 2012. Toyota has been exporting the Sienna minivan since November, and also sells the Corolla, Prius and…
Toyota’s Fun-Vii Concept In Action [Video]
Toyota‘s Fun-Vii Concept debuted at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show featuring some very cool, futuristic technology. They dubbed the concept car as a smartphone on wheels, bragging about its exterior body that can be manipulated as a digital display. But those that weren’t fortunate enough to be over in Tokyo when Toyota debuted the concept…
