Toyota
Honda Meet At Eibach Is The Pebble Beach For Import Tuning
There’s not a single member of the Autoguide staff who does not admire the Honda’s of the company’s “Golden Age”. Spanning the period from 1983, when the CRX was released, to 2001, when the last Integra Type-R rolled off the line, subsequent Honda’s have been excellent cars, but have never quite lived up to the…
Fiesta Ad Shows You How To Survive Zombie Attack, Without Awesome Weaponry (Video Inside)
Anyone who grew up playing the Resident Evil games on Playstation knows that the best way to stop a zombie attack is with a large caliber firearm. For those who believe in non-violent resistance, Ford‘s new Fiesta commercial will show you away to make a clean getaway using features like the Fiesta’s keyless entry and push button…
Lexus LFA Takes Class Win at the Nurburgring 24 Hours
Having failed to complete the grueling Nürburgring 24 Hour endurance race last year, Gazoo Racing took home the SP8 class victory (18th overall) at this year’s around-the-clock race at the 12.9-mile Nordschleife in the #50 Lexus LFA. In a field of over 200 cars including privateers and full-on factory efforts and with some very stiff…
Honda Tops Toyota in Customer Loyalty
According to a new survey by Consumer Reports, Honda has surpassed Toyota to become the number one brand for customer loyalty in the U.S. According to the new report performed in April, 68 percent of current Honda owners said they would “most likely” buy another Honda – up one percentage point. Toyota slipped to third…
Toyota Took Nearly A Year To Issue Recall, Sparking New Questions Over Quality Control
Toyota recalled a number of trucks in Japan for a defective steering column but chose to wait nearly a year before recalling them in North America, despite a series of complains in the United States regarding the issue. The revelation comes on the heels of a $16.4 million fine imposed by the U.S. government as…
Recalls Be Damned! Toyota Annual Profits Up 48 Percent
Despite record recalls and public humiliation over quality control scandals, Toyota announced that it expects to see a profit of $3.35 billion by the end of their fiscal year in March, a 48% increase. Toyota sales rose 24 percent in April, as strong incentives helped Toyota move cars like the Corolla and Prius. Despite the…
Toyota Expands Tundra Rust Recall
It’s happening again. Toyota is expanding it’s recall program even further, this time covering 2000-03 Toyota Tundras for frame rot. The problem stems from complaints of premature frame rusting on trucks sold in Northern states, primarily around the rear crossmembers and spare tire mounts. Toyota, in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, originally issued…
Baby FT-86 Model on the Way from Toyota
With recent reports that development costs are driving up the price of the FT-86 sports car, Toyota is rumored to be planing to bring a smaller and less powerful version of the FT-86 to market. According to Road & Track it will be roughly 150-inches in length and should cost $5,000 less than the currently…
Fuji Heavy, Parent Company Of Subaru, Forecasts 57% Profit Increase
Fuji Heavy Industries, the maker of Subaru cars, forecasted a 57% increase in quarterly profits, as sales in the United States grew while costs were reduced. Fuji Heavy also said that they will boost production at its Indiana plant from 100,000 to 131,000 units. The plant builds Subarus as well as Toyota Camrys, as Toyota…
Toyota’s Unintended Problems Caused By Radar-Guided Cruise Control
Toyota‘s new spokesman suggested that their “unintended acceleration” could be caused by consumers misunderstanding of their vehicle’s radar-guided cruise control system. The cruise control, which speeds up or slows the vehicle down depending on its proximity to other cars, might not have been properly explained to customers, leading to concerns about unintended acceleration, said Steve…
Lexus HS250h Not Meeting Sales Targets
Lexus‘ HS250h hybrid sedan is having trouble meeting sales targets, due to the strength of the Prius as well as demand for the HS250h in Japan. Lexus is on track to sell about 14,000 HS250h hybrids this year, well below the projections of 20-22,000. So far just 4529 HS250h’s have been sold. In an interview…
Toyota Sienna ‘Swagger Wagon’ Commercial is Hard-Core and Humorous
The marketing folks for Toyota are taking a unique approach to the new Sienna minivan, opting to raise interest (and eyebrows) with a new “Swagger Wagon” commercial that has a regular family gangsta-rapping about their new wheels. The whole thing is actually very well executed – like the new Sienna. And with the top trim…
Chrysler, Toyota, Hyundai, Ford Make Big Gains As Auto Market Recovers
April sales numbers are beginning to trickle in, and two companies largely written off by the media turned out to be the biggest gainers. Chrysler and Toyota, two companies who were earlier maligned for their dated product and recall scandals saw sales increases of 25 and 24 percent respectively, while current industry darlings Ford and…
Recall Notice: Toyota Recalls 2003 Sequoia for Stability Control Upgrade
Toyota‘s recall issues just keep coming, with news from the Japanese automaker that it will recall 50,000 Sequoia SUVs from 2003. The problem with the trucks stems from the Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) system, but it is quite unlike the VSC problem recently identified in the Lexus GX460 – which was recalled for a stability…
Report: Toyota To Post A Profit This Fiscal Year
Between sticking accelerator pedals and rollover-prone SUVs, this year has not been kind to Toyota. However the Japanese automaker is poised to return a handsome $532 million profit, despite expectations to the contrary. Toyota had initially forecasted a loss of $213, but a weak yen and a series of cost-cutting measures meant that Toyota is…
Report: Scion tC Convertible May Bow In 2012
Despite a dearth of sporty cars in its lineup, Toyota has always managed to have at least one convertible, from boulevard cruisers like the short-lived Celica convertible and the recently departed Camry Solara convertible, to more serious sports cars like the MR2 and Supra. With the Camry Solara gone, Toyota is looking for another open…
Report: Toyota FT-86 to Cost More Than Originally Planned
Toyota‘s highly anticipated FT-86 sports car might not be as affordable as company representatives initially expected. According to a report by AutoCar, development costs for the 4-cylinder sports car are likely to drive up its MSRP – taking away part of the little coupe’s appeal. When the it was originally shown in Tokyo a company…
Toyota Complies With $16.4 Million NHTSA Fine, But Denies Wrongdoing
As reported earlier today, Toyota has now officially announced it will comply with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s civil fine of $16.4 million for not issuing a recall within an acceptable timeframe. The recall in question focused on 2.3 million vehicles for sticking accelerator pedals. In a statement the Japanese automaker accepted the fine,…
Recall Notice: Toyota Recalls 600,000 Sienna Minivans in Northern States
It’s the fifth major recall for Toyota in the past few months and Toyota’s stellar reputation for quality is taking a beating. Toyota Motor Corp has just announced a recall of 600,000 Toyota Sienna minivans dating from 1998-2010. The issue with the vans is with the spare tire cable which may rust so severely that…
Report: Toyota to Agree to $16 Million Fine, Accept Responsibility for Delayed Gas Pedal Recall
Toyota is expected to announce today that it will comply with a $16.4 million U.S. Transportation Department fine, imposed for a four month delay in notifying the government of faulty gas pedals on some of its vehicles. The fine is the largest civic penalty ever imposed on an automaker by the U.S. government. According to…
Report: Toyota Could Face More Fines from DOT
Last week the Department of Transportation announced a $16.4 million fine for Toyota after it declared the automaker acted too slowly in informing the government about a problem with sticking accelerator pedals which later led to a recall. That might not be the end of it, however, as according to a report by Automotive News…
Breaking: Toyota Faces $16M Fine As Transportation Department Claims it has Proof Automaker Hid Defect
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood seems to have found a “smoking gun,” in the Toyota recall controversy, alleging his department now has proof the automaker shirked its legal responsibilities. “We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” he said yesterday. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months…
CNN Erroneously Reports Secret Document Shows Toyota Knew of Sudden Acceleration in 2002
After Toyota recently debunked an ABC News report about sudden acceleration in its vehicles, the Japanese automaker has now decided to take on CNN, after the news outlet reported that Toyota knew about sudden acceleration issues as far back as 2002. The story by CNN‘s special investigations unit reports that in a secret document Toyota…
Toyota Asks ABC News to Retract Runaway Toyota Story, ABC Responds
After ABC News admitted a piece of footage from its Runaway Toyota story was staged and Toyota debunked the method by which the news outlet’s expert created the runaway car, the automaker has now sent a letter to ABC News asking for a formal apology and retraction. And while there’s no mention of a lawsuit,…






