Toyota
Cerrari: Signal Auto Converts Toyota Celica to Ferrari F430 Look-A-Like
There’s a saying we use often when we see projects come to life: “Great concept, poor execution.” Very rarely do we run into a situation where a project is a poor concept with great execution. But that’s exactly what this Toyota Celica is. Signal Auto is also known as Signal Kustom Built and is one…
Luxury Brands Make Gains As Cash For Clunkers Brings Numbers Back To Earth
Year-to-date sales for August 2010 may look poor, but the numbers are actually much closer to reality now that the Cash for Clunkers scheme has wrapped up. Cash for Clunkers, which offered rebates ranging from $3,000-$4,000 on the purchase of a new car and trade-in of a used car, sent sales skyrocketing in 2009, and…
Aston Martin Cygnet Coming To America
Aston Martin‘s Cygnet minicar will come to the United States sometime in 2012 according to Automotive News. The Cygnet will reportedly cost $35,000 despite minimal changes from the Toyota iQ it’s based on. The Cygnet is a risky move for Aston Martin; a product like this is conceivably a good idea in places like London,…
Electric Motorcycle Rider Killed in Collision With a Prius
We don’t mean to speak ill of the dead, but this story is so absurd and pseudo-ironic it’s hard not to view it in that light. Matthew Dieckmann, a California entrepreneur who was helping to develop electric racing motorcycles was killed when the electric motorcycle he was riding collided… with a Toyota Prius. (Honest… we couldn’t make…
Hyundai And Nissan Emerge as Rivals to Overtake Honda in U.S. Sales Race
The Japanese auto industry has always had a well-defined hierarchy, with Toyota, Honda and Nissan locked in a firmly established pecking order. But Toyota’s recent streak of quality problems has caused it to shed sales, causing a disruption in the marketplace. Customers fleeing Toyota are helping to propel the sales numbers of both Nissan and…
Toyota Prius Gets Underhood Soundmaker Option in Japan [video]
We’re going to go ahead and apologize in advanced for finding humor in the entire concept and video, but the Toyota Prius out in Japan just got itself a $150 option to install a speaker that emits sound in order to warn nearby pedestrians a hybrid is on its way. There are all sorts of…
Toyota Corolla Enjoys Over 90% Market Share In Afghanistan
The early days of the Afghanistan conflict allowed the Toyota pickup entered public consciousness as the vehicle of choice for the Taliban. The images got Toyota some bad press, but it turns out that the Japanese auto maker is pretty much the only game in town. Afghani car dealers estimate that up to 90% of vehicles on…
Report: Lotus Esprit To Debut At Paris Auto Show, Use Lexus IS-F V8 And LFA V10
Lotus will leverage their partnership with Toyota be equipping a variant of their new, flagship Esprit with the hand-crafted V10 used in the Lexus LFA. This exclusive version would have some stiff competition from the “base” Esprit – said to be powered by the 5.0L V8 from the Lexus IS-F. Lotus cars in the past…
Toyota Recalls 1.1 Million Corolla, Matrix Models; GM Recalls 200,000 Vibes
Clear of any bad PR for at least a few weeks, Toyota has been hit by yet another safety issue with its cars, announcing a recall of 1.1 million Corolla and Matrix models. The recall involves the 1.8-liter 4-cylinder engine in the cars and as such also affects 200,000 Pontiac Vibes. Models affected include the…
Toyota Prius To Be Offered With Pedestrian Alert System In Japan (Video Inside)
Toyota has just announced a pedestrian warning system for its Toyota Prius hybrids that will be available as a dealer installed option in Japan. The system, which costs $148, will engage below 15 mph and change its tone based on vehicle speed. The noise is said to be a synthesized sound that’s designed to emulate the whirring…
NHTSA Investigates 1.2 Million 2005-2007 Toyota Matrix And Corolla For Engine Stalls
After receiving 1,100 complaints regarding the 2005-2007 Toyota Matrix and Corolla, NHTSA has decided to broaden their investigation into the vehicles, after launching a preliminary inquiry in November of 2009. According to reports, Toyota told NHTSA that a problem with the car’s ECU (engine control unit) that causes stalling, rough shifting and stops the car from re-starting…
Third-Gen Toyota Prius Included in Gran Turismo 5
Some of us real passionate gamers don’t think Gran Turismo 5 will make it to our grubby little hands anytime soon. But there’s always reason to hope that the company’s continuous delay in releasing the game is well worth the wait. This is probably not one of those highlights that makes us thankful that they…
Toyota Yaris Concept to Debut at Detroit Auto Show; Yaris Hybrid for Europe?
With Toyota‘s sub-compact Yaris having been on the market for what feels like forever, a new model is due out soon. Reports indicate that a concept for the next-gen Yaris will debut at the Detroit Auto Show this January, giving us a better look at the style and size of the new model, which is…
Toyota To Celebrate A Decade Of Prius Sales On October 10, 2010
In honor of the 10th anniversary of Toyota Prius sales in the United States, Toyota is holding a contest to find the “most passionate Prius fan in the United States”, who will then have the privilege of hosting the Prius’ 10th anniversary celebration in their hometown. The Toyota press release asks owners “Are you a fuel-efficient hyper-miler,…
Toyota Suspends Exports To Iran Due To Sanctions
Toyota has indefinitely suspended exporting vehicles to Iran as a new sanctions campaign aimed at crippling the country’s nuclear weapons program is implemented. While Iranian sales have fallen over the past two years, but the United States remains Toyota’s biggest market. Firms that have dealings with Iran have come under scrutiny in America. Toyota said…
Lexus LFA Heading to FIA GT1 Series to Take on Nissan GT-R
Lexus aims to prove just how impressive its new LFA supercar is by competing in what is arguably the world’s most prestigious sports car series, the FIA GT1 Championship. The carbon-chassis 552-hp V10 exotic will reportedly take on rivals such as the Lamborghini Murciélago, Ford GT, Aston Martin DB9, Maserati MC12 and domestic rival Nissan…
Driver Error to Blame in Most of Toyota’s “Unintended Acceleration” Cases: Report
As early leaked reports indicated, Toyota is being exonerated after Congress pushed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reveal the preliminary findings of its investigation into the cases of “unintended acceleration” of Toyota vehicles. A Department of Transportation investigation of the black box recorders in 58 Toyota vehicles involved in “unintended acceleration” crashes…
Toyota: Strong Yen Means Exporting Small Cars “Isn’t Feasible”
Toyota‘s executive vice president for global manufacturing said that exporting the Corolla and Yaris to America was no longer profitable due to a strong yen, which is at a 15 year high relative to the U.S. dollar. Given the current exchange-rate situation, it isn’t feasible, in terms of a business model, for us to produce…
Hybrid Sales Down 33% in July Despite Increasing Incentives
Sales of hybrid models in the month of July are down a significant 33 percent compared to the same period a year ago, this, despite, significant incentives. There’s a great deal of speculation as to why this is, ranging from low fuel costs to a lack of new products to the possibility that consumers are…
Baby FT-86/FR-S to be Based on Toyota GRMN FR Hot Hatch Concept
Several months ago the first reports of a “baby” FT-86/FR-S rear-drive sports car emerged and now that project is taking shape. Toyota has reportedly begun the work of building this lower cost alternative to the FR-S as a tribute to chief test driver Hiromu Naruse, who died recently while testing a Lexus LFA in Germany….
Wald International Toyota Prius Aero Kit Revealed
The world of tuning hybrids has really evolved in a short period of time. The good looks of the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius have really captured the Japanese aftermarket. We saw it first hand at the 2010 Tokyo Auto Salon, where the overwhelming amount of customized hybrids caught us by surprise. Wald International has…
Darren McNamara and Team Need for Speed to Race/Drift in Custom Widebody AE86
Darren McNamara has had an impressive run drifting in America under the Team Falken name. Representing Ireland, Team Falken Tire picked McNamara up to join their team after being impressed with his skills behind the wheels of a Toyota AE86. Now Team Need for Speed has enlisted D-MAC’s help to broaden their European reach and…
2011 Toyota Highlander Revealed With Bold New Look
Even since the launch of the Venza, Toyota has been spicing up its models with a bit more road presence. Above is the first look at what the new 2011 Highlander will look like – or at least what it will look like when it is sold in Russia for the first time. To celebrate…
Subaru FT-86 to Boast as Much as 260-Horsepower
According to the latest reports out of Japan, Subaru‘s version of the Toyota FT-86 (FR-S) is still on track with plans to deliver a higher-powered version of the two-door coupe. Believed to be powered by the same turbocharged 2.0-liter engine that powers the WRX STI it will make around 260-hp – a 60-hp jump over…






