With Matrix sales slumping in the U.S, Toyota may not invest in a next-generation version when the 2013 Corolla hits dealerships. Only 14,592 Toyota Matrix’s were sold last year in the U.S which is down from 66,836 units in 2002. Matrix sales are still doing well in Canada, but Corolla sales are double that of...
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On June 26, an electric Nissan Leaf will compete in the 89th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb driven by Nissan off-road truck racing champion Chad Hord. The Leaf will compete in the Production Class for electric vehicles in factory shape. Other than a roll cage, racing seats and safety harnesses the car will be entirely...
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The all-new 2012 Honda Civic sedan models received the highest safety rating of Top Safety Pick from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, announced today. In order to receive a top safety pick, the vehicle must include a standard electronic stability control system and must successfully protect occupants inside the vehicle, involved in front, side...
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Kimi Raikkonen struggled to a 27th place on his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Raikkonen, driving the #87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports, suffered a pit road penalty and damage to the front of his car, dropping from 15th to 27th place. The iceman enjoyed a great run in...
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Toyota is taking product development authority away from Japanese bosses and putting it in the hands of North American executives as part of a larger change aimed at fixing quality control issues that hurt the automaker’s reputation last year. Until now, vehicles produced and designed and developed in North America had to be approved by...
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The Insurance Institute For Highway Safety today announced the all-new 2011 Lexus CT200h hybrid earned a “Top Safety Pick” award. The Lexus earned the award through enduring front, side, rollover, and rear impact evaluations and its standard electronic stability control. High-strength steel components are carefully located in the body structure to help ensure strength in key...
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A trusted Infiniti insider has confirmed the automaker has no plans to introduce the M25 into the U.S market. The M25 was to use the 2.5-liter VQ25VHR engine aimed to compete with the BMW 528i. The M25 has worked well in Japan (where cars are taxed based on displacement) and would have been a cheaper...
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Bad news for Mazda rotary engine enthusiasts – the company has no plans to build the RX-9 hybrid sports car, contrary to recent rumors. Even worse, minimal sales of the RX8 may jeopardize the Mazda rotary engine all together. Production of the Mazda RX-8 is drawing to a close, with U.S sales of just 291...
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Toyota will be adding a function to its onboard navigation systems that gives on-screen and voice alerts to wrong way drivers. The system was developed with Aisin AW Co., Ltd. and Denso Corporation and the function will monitor the vehicle’s direction. This system will work on highways and selected toll roads, including tollgates, service area...
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Nissan has had a successful year with the Nissan Juke, Cube, Leaf and Infiniti M37/56 on the list of 2011 top safety picks. Today, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2011 Nissan Juke a “Top Safety Pick” rating. The Juke earned this award by earning a “good” rating in front, rear and side...
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Hyundai–Kia will outsell Toyota and Honda in May sales, according to TrueCar. TrueCar expects Hyundai-Kia to sell 115,434 units in May. This number represents an increase of 43.4 percent over May 2010 making the Korean group a 10.9 percent market share putting it number three behind Ford and GM. Hyundai-Kia has gathered a momentum caused...
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Sebastian Vettel, the reigning Formula One world champion and currently in first place on the F1 leaderboard, has been appointed brand ambassador in the hopes of boosting the Infiniti brand. Vettel has been provided with several Infiniti products including a personal car, according to the manufacturer. “Since our first contact with Infiniti I liked their...
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Nissan North America announced today it will begin sharing information for Nissan and Infiniti vehicles with Carfax, in an effort to provide used-car shoppers with improved access to information on open safety and emissions recalls. “We strive to have recall campaign work completed in a timely fashion,” said John Spoon, vice president, Parts and Service, NNA. “By...
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The Toyota Prius family could grow even larger as the automakers studies additional versions of the three row Prius. The Japanese automaker wants to sell 1 million hybrids a year and in early 2012, Toyota will launch two more Prius family members. The members will include the Prius C compact hybrid and the Prius plug-in...
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r Since the fall of 2009, Toyota has recalled more than 20 million vehicles. According to an advisory panel appointed by the company, Toyota has not adopted enough change to address the slew of safety problems that have arisen over the past decade. This issue lies within Toyota’s centralized decision-making that remains based in Japan, and a 60...
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The U.S National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has closed its investigation into the power steering system in the 2009-2010 Toyota Corolla with no defects found. Furthermore, the NHTSA also said Toyota’s electronic throttles were not to blame for the 2009-2010 recall fiasco. However, Toyota is still dealing with major setbacks with the parts shortage caused...
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Honda has scheduled the June 16 release of its all new Fit Shuttle. The new station-wagon-like variant of the popular Fit subcompact will be offered with both a regular 4-cylinder engine or a hybrid version, the Nikkei business daily reported. Increased production at the Suzuka factory in Mie Prefecture began in early May and has progressed enough...
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The current Camry was last redesigned in 2006 and Toyota is preparing for the next model due this fall, according to WardsAuto.com. Toyota faces fierce competition from the latest offerings out of Korea and the U.S, so the new model is of the utmost importance to the company. Toyota sold 327,084 Camrys in 2010 still leading midsize family...
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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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A $30 million federal- government grant, half funded by the Department of Energy is development of a high efficiency Cummins four-cylinder diesel engine to be used in the Nissan Titan. This engine will allow the Titan to shed its guzzler status and become one of the most fuel-efficient full size pickup trucks on the market....
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Nissan has just launched its high performance limited edition 370Z GT Edition, to celebrate 40 years of the Z in the UK as well as its GT racing heritage. The 370Z GT will feature grey stripes running along the both sides of the car as well as three unique colours- Kuro Black, Pearl White...
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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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Infiniti‘s M37 and M56 sedans, the largest of Infiniti’s 4-door offerings, get a minor price bump for 2011, with the MSRPs rising $250 and $350 respectively. The 2011 M37 and M37x will now retail for $46,500 and $48,650 while the M56 and M56x will cost $58,775 and $61,275. The price increases are fairly standard for...
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Imagine you are able to bring together some of humanity’s great minds for a dialogue, but you then end up having them give you their picks for who will win the World Series. Motor Trend‘s new video of a Lexus LFA drag racing a Nissan GTR is similarly anti-climactic and a little silly, but we...
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