Toyota

Toyota's big, new plans: Six hybrids, two electric cars will debut in 2012

Takeshi Uchiyamada announced the automaker’s plans during a speech Sept. 13 in Detroit. Toyota’s Prius gasoline-electric hybrid vehicle has dominated the segment. The world’s largest automaker has been less certain about the market for fully electric vehicles like Nissan’s Leaf due out this year. Tesla and Toyota announced a partnership in May to develop electric vehicles under the strategy of the start-up company for its $109,000 Roadster, powered by more than 6,800 laptop batteries. Toyota had previously announced plans for its first electric vehicle. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a

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Toyota Prius tops Kelley Blue Book 'Green Car' list for 2010

“To be considered for the green Top 10, each vehicle was required to offer fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions superior to the bulk of vehicles in its class and at the same time provide all the safety, creature comforts and driving enjoyment that would make it pleasant to own,” explain Kelley Blue Book. “So while the top 10 green vehicles are listed in order from most fuel-efficient to least fuel-efficient, fuel ratings weren’t the sole reason for inclusion on the list. The 2010 Chevrolet Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, No. 10, is the least fuel-efficient vehicle chosen with No. 9 Toyota Highlander Hybrid. But it has a combined fuel economy of 22 mpg, but the 5,900-pound vehicle has good room for

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Bloom Energy (Redeux): Could it replace current electric and other alternative fuel cars?

“The idea is to one day replace the big power plants and transmission line grid, the way the laptop moved in on the desktop and cell phones supplanted landlines.” Since its debut broadcast, more than 100 additional companies have signed up as customers for Bloom’s energy, including PG&E. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Bloom Energy has operated for the past eight years. According to the 60 Minutes report, it has raised about $400 million from venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins, and its early clients include Google, eBay and Walmart. Additional investors in Bloom Energy are diverse and its business relationships are posted on the company’s web site. But what was conspicuously absent from the 60 Minutes report was if the fuel

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Toyota recall redeux: 1.13 millon Corolla sedans, Matrix hatchbacks could stop suddenly

According to the Associated Press, federal regulators have been investigating the possibility of stalling engines in the Corolla and Matrix models since December. The probe was intensified earlier this week. “Our goal is to help ensure that Toyota drivers are completely confident in the safety and reliability of their vehicles,” Steve St. Angelo, Toyota’s chief qualify officer for North America, said in the statement. James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004. In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review

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Toyota Prius owners will soon have option to make some noise

Toyota said the device was intended to help indicate the vehicle’s proximity and movement, and “aimed to alert but not to annoy.” Toyota’s announcement to offer synthetic noise for its top-selling hybrid is the outcome from safety risks since an increased amount hybrid and electric cars are nearly silent at low speeds. A study by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) last year found that hybrids were twice as likely to be involved in a pedestrian crash than conventional cars when slowing, stopping, backing up, or entering or leaving a parking space. Nissan, which will begin selling its electric Leaf in the United States and Japan later this year and in Europe from early 2011, will equip the cars with

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Best used cars under $3,000: Mazda Miata, BMW 3 Series, VW Rabbit On Popular Mechanics’ list

The Mazda Miata is the gold-standard, fun-to-drive used car — at least according to Popular Mechanics. The general-interest “umbrella” magazine for all things mechanical has published a list of cars it considers the best used cars available for $3,000 or less.The Miata, the best-selling sports car ever made tops the list. The publication offers: “For three grand, you’re probably looking at a first-generation edition (1989–1994) with the 1.6-liter four-cylinder. Mazda built tens of thousands of them, and many folks who bought them barely drove them, so plenty of low-mileage examples exist.” “They’re enormously fun, with a lithe feel, telepathic steering, raspy engine note and one of crispest gearboxes in the industry. They’re tough, too, as evidenced by the number plying

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BMW, Ford, Honda, Volvo, Toyota among cars gone to the dogs

More precisely, the AAA has selected its newest list of 11 cars in six lifestyle categories that dog owners prefer when transporting their pets. According to the AAA, 45 million households in the United States have a dog and more than 80 percent of dog owners take their best friend with them when they run errands or drive their cars for leisure. “There several vehicles with features that can help keep pets safe, comfortable and easy to clean-up after while also addressing other driver desires such as sportiness, adventure or luxury,” said John Nielsen, AAA National Director of Auto Repair and Buying Services. The AAA’s experts drove and reviewed hundreds of vehicles and compiled a list of their top car

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Toyota Prius will soon lose carpool lane status in California

The Sacramento Bee is reporting that drivers of new electric vehicles like the Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf and even plug-in edition of the Prius will have the highest privileges in carpool lanes. Current Prius hybrid editions, about 85,000 in California, will no longer have carpool access after June 2011. The new program involves a revised series of color-coded stickers, the brainchild of San Francisco Sen. Leland Yee’ and his Senate Bill 535. It’s now on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s desk. The pending new policies for California carpool lanes are detailed in the newspaper’s weekly column, Back Seat Driver. Here’s the link: Toyota Prius James RaiaA sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car

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Great 1980s cars time's forgotten, Audi to Toyota, BMW to Ferrari

Neither age makes the respective car ancient. Nevertheless, article offers unique insight and states that the 1980s was a far superior decade for cars than the 1970s. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars The article’s premise is that the 1980s was great decade for prominent, groundbreaking cars—the BMW 5 Series, Honda Civic CRX and Ferrari F40. Writer John Pearley Huffman also offers: “A few machines have somehow faded from our collective consciousness. They’re essentially unappreciated, but their innovations or performance mean they deserve more prominence.” In his description of the 1983 BMW 5 Series, Huffman writes: “Luxury machines like the 1983 BMW 5 Series changed what the

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Toyota recall: Frozen steering wheel in nearly half-million Avalon, Lexus models

The recall affects 412,000 vehicles in the U.S. — 373,000 Avalon sedans and 39,000 Lexus LX 470 SUVs. The recall is Toyota‘s largest since announcing last April it would fix 600,000 Sienna minivans because of rusting spare tire holders. Toyota’s massive quality control problems began last October when it announced a recall of 5.3 million cars and trucks to fix floor mats that can trap pedals and cause unintended acceleration. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Used Cars Several additional recalls have followed — sticky gas pedals to braking problems with the Prius hybrid to rusting frames in the Tacoma pickup. With the latest problem, Toyota has now recalled

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Toyota Prius, 2010: The Weekly Driver Car Review

The standard and optional changes are substantial — the redesigned exterior, better gas mileage (the first legitimate 50 mpg EPA estimate) and Intelligent Parking Assist (IPA). The Prius is now among the top-20 best-selling cars in the country. Yet, it’s still a work in progress. The Weekly Driver’s Ratings Acceleration (5) For 2010, Toyota has added 24 additional horsepower, increasing the total to 134. That gives the Prius some confidence in freeway passing situations it previously couldn’t quite handle. Braking/Steering/Handling (6) The V series, one of five available, includes 17-inch wheels. That helps with sharper turns and better road firmness. Braking is satisfactory, but a few times, I had to abruptly hit the brakes hard and it felt like stepping

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Toyota troubles continue, automaker now facing more than 320 lawsuits

In a report filed with U.S. District Judge James Selna, attorneys for the plaintiffs and Toyota listed 228 federal cases and 99 related cases in state courts. A judicial panel consolidated the federal cases before Selna last month. Selna’s court is in Orange County, California, near Los Angeles and close to Toyota‘s U.S. headquarters. The next court date in the case is scheduled for May 13. AUTOMOTIVE RESOURCES Auto Shipping Quote, Car Financing, Car Insurance Quotes, Car Loans, Online Car Insurance, Rental Cars, Toyota said the acceleration problems were caused by faulty floor mats and sticky accelerator pedals. Some plaintiffs also claim there’s defect with Toyota’s electronic throttle control system. Plaintiffs are alleging injury and death due to the sudden

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Toyota recalls 600,000 Sienna minivans with corrosion problem

Toyota is recalling about 600,000 certain Sienna minivans from 1998 to 2010 models years sold in the United States to address potential corrosion on spare tire cables. The Japanese manufacturer reported “prolonged exposure” to road salts may lead to corrosion of the carrier cable in these vehicles. As a result, the spare tire to fall from the car. “In the worst case, the carrier cable may fail and the spare tire could become separated from the vehicle, a road hazard for following vehicles that increases the likelihood of a crash,” Toyota said. Toyota, plagued by several recalls in the past year, said it is “working to develop” a solution to the problem. Until a fix is found, customers will receive

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Toyota halts worldwide sales of Lexus GX 460 SUV after Consumer Reports warning

Toyota spokeswoman Mieko Iwasaki said the company is expanding the suspension to the Middle East and Russia, the only other markets where it was sold. “We have no specific target in mind when to resume the sales,” said another Toyota spokesman Ririki Takeuchi. “We are now investigating the case by trying to replicate the situation that Consumer Reports pointed out.” Consumer Reports said it judged the 2010 model to be a safety risk because of a problem that cropped up during standard emergency-handling tests. “When pushed to its limits on our track’s handling course, the rear of the GX we bought slid out until the vehicle was almost sideways before the electronic stability control system was able to regain control,”

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Toyota fined maximum $16.4 million by NTHSA, largest in auto history

According to documents obtained from Toyota, NHTSA detailed in a press release the automaker knew some of its cars had sticky accelerator pedals since September 2009 and failed to notify the agency for more than four months. Under federal regulations, automakers are required to inform the agency within five days of determining a safety defect exists in one of its products. “We now have proof that Toyota failed to live up to its legal obligations,” said Secretary LaHood. “Worse yet, they knowingly hid a dangerous defect for months from U.S. officials and did not take action to protect millions of drivers and their families. For those reasons, we are seeking the maximum penalty possible under current laws.” NHTSA is still

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Hyundai cruises past Toyota, Honda in Kelley Blue Book customer loyalty

Additionally, throughout the month of February 2010 Hyundai outperformed the overall car segment average by a healthy margin. Hyundai values increased 2 percent month-over-month, relative to a 0.3 percent increase for the entire car segment. In addition to topping brand loyalty, the all-new 2011 Sonata was named to kbb.com’s Top 10 Most-Researched New Vehicles list for the first time. In February, the Sonata was the fifth most-researched new car on kbb.com alongside ‘Top 10 Most-Researched’ mainstays such as Accord, Civic, Camry and CR-V. “2009 marked an unprecedented year for the Hyundai brand and we are well poised to keep the momentum going in 2010,” said John Krafcik, president and CEO, Hyundai Motor America. “With impressive new vehicles like the all-new

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