Toyota
Second Car in Prius Family Set to Hit Dealers in 2012
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Toyota will bring three new green models to market in 2012, including the second model in the Prius family. Toyota has confirmed it will expand the Prius name into its own brand, but it’s not yet clear if the second model in the range will be the much-rumored Prius Alfa MPV or if it will…
Tesla Building Two EV Prototypes for Toyota Using Japanese Automaker’s Vehicles
After reports last week that Toyota has already begun building a prototype electric car using Tesla battery technology, it now appears that that Tesla is also engaged in the prototype process. The American manufacturer of electric sports cars has announced that by the end of the month it will deliver two prototype models to Toyota…
Minivan Sales Are Up Again
Minivans are deeply uncool. For men especially, buying one carries the same emasculating stigma that wearing a pink shirt once held. But after a long period of poor sales (and having the segment ravaged by crossovers) minivan sales are on the rebound, thanks to some especially strong product. On the other hand, right now isn’t…
Toyota Opens Six Product Quality Field Offices to Bolster Image, Address Customer Concerns
Toyota has announced that it will open six new product quality field offices (PQFOs) in different regions in North America next month, as it continues to reclaim its long-standing reputation for building quality vehicles. Earlier this year, Toyota opened its first such field office in New York and is set to open a second one…
Toyota Already Building Prototype EV With Tesla Technology Says CEO
Toyota has already begun building an electric vehicle prototype using Tesla’s battery technology confirms company CEO Akio Toyoda. The comments were made during a meeting with journalists in Nagoya, Japan. That news does not, however, mean that a production EV will make it to market combining Tesla’s innovation and Toyota’s reputation for quality and its…
California No Longer Issuing HOV Carpool Stickers to Hybrids
Hybrid cars are a huge hit in California and for a number of reasons. The first reason you might think of is the that citizens of the fine state are concerned about the environment. And while that might be true, there’s also a more self-serving reason, namely, that the California DMV issues 85,000 “Clean Air…
Custom AWD Toyota Supra Boasts Turbocharged 4.5L Landcruiser Motor
Back in the early 2000’s, when import and sport compact drag racing was hitting the main spotlight, several race teams were experimenting with Toyota‘s Supra 2JZ-GTE powerplant. Whether it was in their Pro RWD drag car or their Street Tire class Supras, the 2JZ seemed to be the engine to beat when it came to…
Toyota Planning Full Range Of Hybrids, Including “Sporty Hybrids” To Rival Honda CR-Z
Toyota is planning to create a hybrid version of every model in its lineup by 2020, utilizing the same architecture as the Prius’ groundbreaking hybrid system. Toyota plans to produce more than 1 million hybrid systems in this year alone, and its reliability and cost advantages mean that Toyota is reluctant to make any radical…
Toyota’s Goodwood Festival Of Speed Photo Gallery Chock Full Of Awesome Cars
“It’s been a while since I’ve used ‘Toyota” and ‘awesome’ in the same sentence,” said one AutoGuide staffer, “but these pictures are really cool.” Toyota played a large roll in this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, displaying some cool race and road cars, and the company was wise enough to take a whole bunch of pictures…
Report: Toyota Engine Complaints First Surfaced In 2007
A recall of more than 100,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles this past week was originally known about in 2007, after complaints regarding the defective valve springs began to surface at that time. So far, Toyota has only listed a vague explanation for the defect, with a company spokeswoman stating that “The problem occurs when foreign…
Lexus Says 270,000 Vehicles Have Faulty Engines; Recall Likely
In yet another blow to the company’s image, Toyota has announced that 270,000 of its vehicles are equipped with faulty engines. The problem is quite the opposite of the “unintended acceleration” issue, with Toyota stating that the engines could simply stall while the cars are in motion. No recall has been announced, but one is…
Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Gets 62 MPG, But Takes 215,000 Miles To Break Even
Inside Line was awarded a plug-in hybrid version of the Toyota Prius, well in advance of official production, and after reaching the 500 mile mark, some observations have begun to surface about Toyota’s newest hope for green motoring. The plug-in Prius delivers about 62 mpg combined, an impressive figure, but according to Autoblog Green, something…
Consumers Reports Released List Of 10 Best Cars For Teen Drivers
Just like the title says, the venerable magazine Consumers Reports has released its list of cars suitable for teen drivers, and absolutely none of them will make the budding enthusiast glow with delight. Of course, Consumers Reports is primarly concerned with safety when it comes to cars for first time drivers, so their choices are…
Tom Hanks’s Plug-In Prius Being Auctioned-Off to Support Veterans
Tom Hanks has donated his 2004 Toyota Prius for a charity auction, with proceeds going to help veterans and military families. The Prius, which has been modified so that it can be recharged by plugging it in, will be auctioned off on ClubCharity.com, with bidding ongoing and ending on July 19th at 8 p.m. EST….
Toyota to Supply Subaru With New Sub-Compact Model
Along with a long-rumored hybrid technology partnership between Toyota and Subaru, Japan’s largest automaker is also preparing to supply Subaru with a new sub-compact model. Japan’s Nikkei is reporting that the new model will be based on the Toyota Ractis, but will be built entirely by Toyota. The deal seems to be part of a…
Toyota Shareholder Asks CEO To Stop Crying on TV
Nobody likes a man who cries. Well, unless you’re Chris Brown, and crying at the BET Awards “saves your career.” There’s no crying in Baseball, and certainly no crying in Congressional hearings, well, unless you’re just plain guilty of everything they say you did…. Toyota‘s shareholders have noticed that. During a June 24th meeting, company…
Toyota To Display Rally Cars At Goodwood Festival Of Speed
Despite Toyota‘s lack of results in Formula 1 racing, the Japanese automaker has had considerable success in rally racing. With their TTE performance division having significant ties to Europe, Toyota is planning to show off some of their important rally cars at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in England. The Celica ST185 and the Corolla WRC will…
Toyota 2000GT Up For Sale
We normally try and stay away from “Cool Ebay Listings” or things of that nature, but this is a truly historic listing that you won’t see again for quite some time. Bring A Trailer, possibly the best resource for classic cars online, has an all-original, left-hand driver Toyota 2000GT up for sale. One of only…
Toyota Linked to Prodrive for 2011 World Rally Championship Team
Toyota appears set to return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) next year after an absence from the sport of over a decade. Last week we reported on Toyota’s fact-finding missions at several WRC races, and now the Japanese automaker has been linked to Prodrive – a motorsports company that helped Subaru rise to fame…
Domestics Beat Imports In Initial Quality Reports
In a reversal of previous trends, domestic brands reported fewer aggregate quality problems than import brands for the first time in the history of J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey. Domestic vehicles reported 108 problems per 100 vehicles, compared to 109 problems per 100 vehicles for imports – not a very wide margin, but an important…
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…
