The highly anticipated Toyota FT86/ Scion FR-S rear-wheel drive sports coupe has been a hot item in the car world since the first concept debuted at the Toyko Auto Show two years ago. Information has been sparse and while Toyota has showcased several concepts, a realistic idea of what the small sports car will look...
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The ever-popular Toyota Prius is on hold, due to supplier shortages from the Japan earthquake, but it could return to near-normal levels soon—as early as next month. Bob Carter, Toyota’s vice president for US sales, expects Prius supplies to return to 70 percent of its normal rate—i.e. before the earthquake. “If I had twice as many...
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With the average price for a gallon of gasoline above $4, many American drivers are looking to dump the family gas-guzzler as quickly as possible and buy a more fuel efficient hybrid. But according to Jeff Bartlett, deputy online automotive editor at Consumer Reports, this is the worst time to do so. With so many...
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Due to the fallout from the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan, Toyota execs have admitted the auto giant is likely to cede the title of the world’s largest automaker to General Motors. But according to a new Bloomberg report, things may be worse than that, with Toyota poised to slip to third in the...
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A recall has been issued for a number of 2007-11 model year Tundras because they may have incorrectly calibrated TPMS systems, preventing warning lights from operating when tire pressures are low.
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Toyota Prius sales have drastically risen as the price of gasoline officially reached $4 per gallon in the US. Car buyers are flocking towards high-mileage vehicles and because of Japan’s earthquake and the subsequent disruption of hybrid production, prices have spiked accordingly. According to Toyota spokesman Mike Michels, as gas prices climbed past $4 a...
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By now at least some of these official details are foregone conclusions, but Toyota has decided to confirm some of the technical specs about the production car that will evolve from the FT-86 Concept. As expected, the details are identical to those provided for the Scion FR-S from its debut at the New York Auto...
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Reports of the Toyota Prius V’s delay have been greatly exaggerated. According to the company, the Prius V is on track for a U.S. fall debut, after all. The Prius V had been previously reported to be delayed across all markets, due to the Japanese earthquake. But a brief note from Toyota USA’s Torrance, California...
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During a test conducted by the institute, where a large plate of steel is pressed against the corner of the roof, the Tundra was able to support 4.5 times its own weight; the F-150 4.7 times.
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The upcoming Toyota Prius V, a pseudo-minivan version of Toyota’s wildly popular Prius hybrid, may be delayed for up to a year because of battery shortages resulting from the March 11th earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Toyota initially planned to launch the vehicle in April, but the resulting supply chain issues have thrown their plans...
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A trade group representing Detroit’s three automakers as well as Toyota is currently urging the Obama administration to say no to a proposal that could mandate a 62-mpg CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) industry standard by 2025. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, in a letter addressed to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Environmental Protection Agency administrator...
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Toyota is launching its “100 Cars for Good” program, where the company will donate 100 cars to various non-profit groups. Facebook users will choose which groups will receive the vehicles via a voting process. The winning organizations will get to choose from a selection of vehicles, including the Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, Highlander Hybrid, Sienna or Sienna Mobility. The...
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If there’s anything Toyota execs can be happy about for the most recent quarter, it’s that for them it’s Q4, marking an end to what has been a troubling 12 months for the Japanese auto giant. Just released data shows Toyota Q4 profit fell off a cliff, dropping 77 percent to “just” $314 million. The...
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Toyota is denying a report that the automaker plans to switch all of its Prius models over to a plug-in hybrid setup by 2014. With the Plug-in Prius about to go on sale, a report from the Nikkei business daily indicated that the Japanese automaker is set to then make all future Prius models use...
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According to the BrandZ Top 100 annual ranking of the worl’s most valuable brands, Toyota’s brand value has jumped 11% to $24.2 billion. Toyota has surpassed BMW, which was number 1 last year in the automotive category. Despite Toyota’s massive recall campaign and the March 11 earthquake, the car maker has regained its position as the worlds...
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Toyota Canada has cut its sales projections by a third and warned dealers that the supply of new vehicles is starting to be choked off as the company feels the effects of the March 11th earthquake that rocked northern Japan. While Toyota sent two memos to dealers regarding the revised sales forecast, the company refused...
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Overall, auto sales have been on an upward trajectory for several months, however cash incentives are not the reason for the success. Incentive spending was at a five- year low in April, according to Automotive News, down 14 percent to an average of $2,320 per vehicle. Toyota had the lowest incentives among the top six...
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Even with skyrocketing fuel prices, subcompacts are selling less than their compact counterparts. The Ford Fiesta was the overall leader in the subcompact department, 9,147 sales but still trailed the larger Focus’ 17,265 total sales. Honda Civic sales rose 7% to 26,777 which is more than triple the Fit’s total of 8,116 units in April. Furthermore,...
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It’s interesting to see a demographic breakdown of what people are buying and a new study shows that Toyota was the top automotive brand for African-Americans in 2010. In the recent study conducted by Polk, the total new vehicle registrations among this demographic reached 641,090, an increase of 11.5 percent over 2009 (7.4 percent of...
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Like other Japanese automakers, Toyota continues to be affected deeply by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Now the company is saying that it will be at least 6 months before they can resume production at levels before the disasters. By November, Toyota is hoping that production, both overseas and American, will return to normal—with...
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Toyota is voluntarily recalling 51,000 Tundra pick-up trucks regarding a defect that reportedly occurs in 0.05 percent of Tundras sold. A drive shaft component, known as the slip yoke, may have been casted incorrectly, leading to a possible part failure. Although no injuries or deaths have been reported, Toyota is notifying dealers to be on...
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Nearly 5 months in to the calendar year, Lexus has admitted that it will not be able to sustain its lead in the luxury car sales race, due to tight supplies of vehicles and parts from Japan. With dealers down to a 30 day supply of cars (compared to a usual 60 or 90 day...
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Toyota‘s Vietnamese division has been left red-faced after obfuscating the seriousness of a recall for their export-market Innova minivan, with Toyota being forced to recall nearly 10 times as many vans as they initially claimed. Despite flaws the the braking system, wheel alignment bolts and the seats, Toyota claimed that only 8,830 cars would need...
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General Motors is set to become the world’s largest automaker yet again, reclaiming the title from Toyota, whose operations have been hit hard by a production slowdown brought on by Japan’s natural disasters. With only a 30,000 vehicle gap in sales between the two companies at the end of 2010, GM should easily reclaim the...
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