Toyota
Detroit Preview: Secret Toyota Hybrid Concept A Subcompact
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Toyota has said it will unveil a new hybrid concept car at the Detroit Auto Show, and according to recent reports it will be a subcompact and will go on sale in 2012. Two teaser photos of the car most certainly show a small car and…
Report: Toyota Planning Striped-Down and Beefed-Up FT-86 Track Version
Toyota built the FT-86 Concept to re-energize the brand’s image and it seems to have done just that, with young auto enthusiasts the world over itching to get their hands on the production version of this entry-level rear-drive sports car. Company press releases have boasted about the car’s handling capabilities and now it seems Toyota…
Report: Mazda to Source Toyota Hybrid Technology for Future Green Vehicles
Mazda has reached a general agreement with Toyota to use its hybrid technology for future products. According to a report in Japanese English daily Yomiuri Shimbun, Toyota will sell Mazda parts like the electric motor, control system and other major components of its industry-leading Prius. Like Toyota, Mazda’s electric components will come from Panasonic. The…
Report: Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Officially Launched With Retail Sales Starting in Late 2011
After displaying a concept version of the Prius Plug-In Hybrid (PHV) at the Frankfurt, Tokyo and LA Auto Shows, today Toyota officially announced the introduction of the production model in Japan. Starting immediately and carrying over the next six months, Toyota will build and ship 600 Prius PHVs to different markets around the world with…
Detroit Preview: New Toyota Dedicated Hybrid Concept to Debut in Detroit
***See AutoGuide’s LIVE 2010 Detroit Auto Show Coverage Here*** Toyota will debut an all-new hybrid concept vehicle at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit in just a few weeks. This new concept will be a dedicated hybrid model, meaning that like the Prius, it will only be offered as a hybrid. Toyota has…
LA 2009: 2011 Toyota Sienna Premieres With New, Efficient 4-Cylinder Engine
With the minivan segment continuing to diminish in the marketplace, Toyota has unveiled its all-new 2011 Sienna as more of a significantly refreshed version. It’s not a huge departure from the previous generation model, but it does get a long list of upgrades including a new interior and exterior as well as a new standard…
LA Preview: Prius PHV Concept Set to Plug-In at Los Angeles Auto Show
After first debuting in Frankfurt and then traveling to Tokyo, the Prius Plug-In Hybrid Concept is set debut on U.S. soil for the first time at the LA Auto Show next week. Using Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive and lithium-ion batteries, Toyota says the Prius PHV will be able to reach highway speeds on pure electric…
Recall Notice: Toyota Recalls 3.8 Million Vehicles to Replace or Reshape Gas Pedals
Following a recall to replace floor mats, Toyota has now announced it will again recall 3.8 million vehicles in order to replace or reshape the gas pedal. The decision was made after it was determined the pedal’s shape, along with the shape of the floor mat, could cause the accelerator to stick. In addition, Toyota…
Report: Toyota Shelves Plans for Entry-Level Prius I Model
Remember back when Honda announced pricing for its Insight hybrid would start at under $20,000 and Toyota, in a bid to compete, said it would offer the Prius for just $21,000? Several months later, and the launch of the Prius II, III, IV and V and Toyota is now saying the Prius I isn’t likely…
Report: Hummer Trumps Toyota at Baja 1000
Toyota was all ready to create a little positive marketing for itself by entering its new 2010 4Runner in the grueling Baja 1000 race. The only problem is, Hummer also signed up and decided to spoil all the fun. Both the 4Runner, piloted by a host of drivers, including Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, a 22-time Baja…
Report: Prius Could Supplant Camry as Toyota’s Top Seller Says Company Exec
The Prius could surpass the Camry as Toyota’s best selling model in the U.S. in the next ten years says the head of Toyota’s sales department. Toyota Motor Sales boss Jim Lentz made the comments, stating that he sees the Prius gaining ground, rather than the Camry (the top selling passenger car in the U.S….
Report: Toyota Absent from Insurance Institute’s ‘Top Safety Pick’ List
After smashing up a long list of perfectly good cars, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has released the results along with its list of “Top Safety Pick” vehicles and Toyota isn’t on it. In order to get a “Top Safety Pick” rating, a vehicle must score a “good” rating (the IIHS’s highest rating),…
Report: Contrary to Reports, Toyota Still World’s Largest Automaker
Despite several reports to the contrary (including our own), Toyota is in fact still the world’s largest automaker. Just last week it was announced by several news agencies that Volkswagen had taken over the top spot, having come from as far back as fourth just over a year ago, to quickly pass Ford, General Motors…
Report: Toyota Planning Larger Prius Variant
Toyota is preparing to launch a variant of the Prius and while the new hybrid would be a larger model, the exact type of vehicle is not known. According to a report in Japan’s Yomiuri newspaper, the new Prius variant would either be a crossover or a wagon. Back in 2007, Toyota did display a…
Report: Toyota to Race 2010 4Runner in Baja 1000
Toyota has announced that the all-new fifth-generation 2010 4Runner will compete in the grueling off-road Baja 1000 race. The truck will compete in the “Stock mini” class, meaning that it will receive minor modifications in order to compete. Toyota isn’t fooling around either and has hired Ivan “Ironman” Stewart, a 22-time Baa winner and member…
Report: Volkswagen Now World’s Largest Automaker
Toyota’s reign at the top was a short one. Year-to-date sales by manufacturer now list Volkswagen as the world’s largest automaker. So far for 2009, Volkswagen has a combined sales tally of 4.4 million units – 400,000 ahead of Toyota. Volkswagen’s tremendous rise from as far back as fourth place just a year ago, was…
LA Preview: 2011 Toyota Sienna Set to Debut
***UPDATE*** 2011 Toyota Sienna Info and Pictures Available Here ***UPDATE*** Has the crossover killed the minivan? Toyota doesn’t think so.. not yet, at least. Japan’s largest automaker has announced that it will debut the all-new 2011 Sienna minivan at the Los Angeles Auto Show in early December. There are no details about the future of…
SEMA 2009: Toyota Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer Might Be the Most Ridiculous Thing at SEMA
Hideous? Absurd? Why of course it is! This is the SEMA Show after all. Known throughout the world for some of the most extreme show cars that are destined to be thoroughly mocked before being retired to collect dust in a backlot warehouse, the Toyota Tacoma All-Terrain Gamer is just such a vehicle. Starting life…
SEMA 2009: Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater a Tribute to Brooks and Dunn
Built as a tribute to country music duo Brooks and Dunn, Toyota unveiled the Midnight Rider Tundra Tailgater at the 2009 SEMA Show. Out back, the truck’s bed folds out to reveal a complete tailgating station with countertops, a BBQ, an ice chest and even a draft beer tap. Oh, and let’s not forget an…
SEMA 2009: Five Axis Priuses Make Going Green Stylish… and Blue
Thanks to tuner Five Axis, the Toyota Prius has never looked this cool. Now in its third generation, the 2010 Prius has gotten considerably better looking over the years, but the two modified versions on display this week at the 2009 SEMA Show take green motoring to a stylish new level. Five Axis has built…
Official: Toyota to quit Formula 1
Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, is pulling out of Formula One racing to focus on its core business. The decision comes a day before the Japanese manufacturer is expected to announce its worst ever financial results. “Based on the current economic environment, we realize we have no choice but to withdraw from Formula One,” said…
SEMA 2009: Toyota to Display Two Modified Priuses by Five Axis
For the SEMA Show, Toyota often calls on the Five Axis tuner shop to create wild and wacky Scions or Lexuses, but for the first time the custom fabricators have been called upon to modify a Prius. Actually, Five Axis has built two versions of the 2010 Prius, the first called the Prius Aerius (Latin…
SEMA 2009: Toyota Tundra Hot Rod Revealed Ahead of SEMA Debut
Ahead of its official debut later today at the 2009 SEMA Show, Toyota has revealed a single photo of its Hot Rod Tundra. Build by Phoenix-based motorcycle shop Sucker Punch Sally’s, the Tundra gets a long list of design cues from the hot rods of the 1950s and ’60s. The Regular Cab 4×2 gets some…
Report: Toyota Enters Korean Market to do Battle With Hyundai on its Turf
With Hyundai gaining ground on the international stage, Toyota has decided to take the fight to the Korean automaker on its home market. Earlier this week Toyota introduced four models in South Korea: the Camry, Camry Hybrid, Prius and RAV4. The more mainstream cars join the lineup of Lexus vehicles, which Toyota Motor Corp has…
